Black Feather
by Omni3
Summary: A story of a reluctant Raven who struggles to prevent the final Great Destruction, the apocalyptic destiny of an indomitable enemy from his obscured past, and to uncover his fated identity.
1. Raven in the Sky

Black Feather: Episode I  
  
"Raven in the Sky"  
  
Unidentified Surface Crater  
  
5:50 p.m., ??/??  
  
  
  
"Twenty to touchdown." The transport pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. Stiff tension from Angelus' shoulders fleeted into relaxation. Times were hard, and soaring the skies became ever more dangerous. He glimpsed out the window...  
  
"Hmph... The surface world... It's only been five years and look what we did to it." His thoughts were somewhat longing as he gazed into the fresh horizon, the sky blue and violet of his eyes sorrowfully shimmered in the freezing window's reflection.  
  
"What the...!?" The pilot's voice ripped throughout the walls. Angelus turned his gaze towards the on-board speakers.  
  
"Mr. Angelus, we have a problem. Please brace yourself as a rough landing is imminent."  
  
Great, something new to worry about. With everything that's been happening in such a short space of time, stress was taking a toll on Angelus. His voice has become grave lately, and his features began to show age.  
  
"What evil times have we fallen under-" Abrupt vibrations thrashed the transport.  
  
A pillar of light flashed. The pilot's cabin vanished, leaving a gaping portal to the sky in front of him. He felt his blood rush to his left side as the plane leaned. Angelus instantly reacted and his attention went towards the window.  
  
Still airborne...  
  
Seat belts released, Angelus sprinted to the on-board hangar, resisting the beckoning vacuum of the outside, the wind and charred chunks of flesh striking against vacant seats.  
  
After shutting the door behind him to stop the suction, Angelus leapt from the descending steps, landing in front of the automatic door. It opened, and still on one of his knees, Retribution came into view as the sliding doors receded into the gaps in the wall. The door above and behind him was torn straight out of the walls, the snakes and festoons of wiring circuitry waved exposed. Using every strand of his legs' sinew, Angelus bolted towards his AC, the cool rising air meekly lifted his short silver hair, as the hangar door closed.  
  
The anterior of the 11 meters tall giant revolved into view, Angelus still rushing ever closer. His hand dove into his pocket and pushed a combination of buttons from a small remote device. A portal with several shutters appeared near the bottom of the core, and a ladder struck the metallic floor of the platform.  
  
A wave of heat blasted throughout the hangar, and Angelus felt as if he was diving towards doom at an accelerated pace. The hangar was heavily leaning to the Angelus' right now, as he found himself hanging from the rail bars. The manacles restraining Retribution groaned. Angelus climbed the railing like a ladder, miraculously reaching his AC. He quickly crawled his way up the ladder (since Retribution was facing near-perpendicular to Earth) as it rose into the center of the core, the numerous protective shutters blocking out the light from the platform one-by-one. Finally reaching his destination, Angelus carefully stood on the cockpit screens, hoping they won't shatter under his pressure. He pushed himself up against the cockpit chair above him and forced the seat belts over his torso, feeling the blood centering in the front of his body. A shutter closed behind him as an image on the main screen came on. Angelus moved his legs from the screens to the pedals. The HUD image was equivalent to that of a television monitor that had lost its reception. A window came up and Angelus typed in the codekey on a small on-screen keyboard, located between his knees. The password accepted, the main screen transformed into the battle HUD.  
  
"Main system. Engaging combat mode." The custom female AI voice was somewhat soothing to Angelus in this time of crisis. He grasped the two controls, his fingers tense on the trigger button. The manacles released, and Retribution was thrown to the opposite wall of the hangar, forcing the plane to lean perfectly parallel to the horizon. Angelus managed to cushion the force with his left arm, as his right held a rifle. Retribution found itself "laying" on the wall, soon sliding down to the hangar's closed hatch, making the transport's now-incinerated nose face the high evening clouds.  
  
The hatch didn't open, and realizing that it won't budge, Angelus fired his rockets blindly into the wall in front of him to weaken it. He pushed an upper pedal, activating the overboosters. The rising hum of the core machinery moaned. He was then pushed back from the recoil of the OB thrust, and multiplied with the present gravity, his eyes blurry since the blood rushed away from them. Retribution ripped through the hangar wall, and then through what's left of the passenger cabin, the weak metal and plastic scathing against the AC's armor. The transport vanished below him as he cut the OB, and the blank evening sky swallowed the HUD. He noticed a dark dot in that evening canvas, and not taking any risks, swiveled himself with the turn boosters to face the horizon, then trying to somehow regain stability.  
  
But, it was too late. A stream of blue energy struck Retribution's back from the heavens, and the AC found itself twisting uncontrollably from the blast. The column of cerulean continued to plunge, eventually disintegrating the remains of the transport.  
  
"DAMNIT! What the hell HAPPENED!?" A concoction of anger and precarious excitement composed his words.  
  
"Boosters are temporarily off-line. Auxiliary leg boosters are undamaged. Would you like to ini-"  
  
"DO IT!! HURRY, DAMN YOU!!" The AI activated the weak, but reliable boosters on the back of the MLL-MX/EDGE. The legs motioned itself to bring the AC back into a perpendicular position to the ground.  
  
"Main boosters are on-line." The AI blankly stated. Angelus pushed the right-right pedal and the CBT-FLEET activated. Retribution landed softly on the crater. The MHD-RE/005's stolid gaze rose up into the bluish-purple expanse. Angelus spotted a red-black AC floating high above him. The screen zoomed in and spotted an emblem. THE emblem. A black sphere with the number "9" in the center.  
  
The enigma disappeared. A lone raven laughs in the sky. 


	2. Abyss

Black Feather: Episode II  
  
"Abyss"  
  
Unidentified Surface Crater  
  
6:07 p.m., ??/??  
  
  
  
Metallic debris and abandoned buildings painted a bleak and desolate picture upon the desiccated crater. Deformed and swarthy limbs of ACs were scattered about.  
  
"Computer, please review the mission objective." Angelus' voice was weary. The mission summary was displayed on the main HUD.  
  
Mission: Investigate Unidentified Energy Source  
  
Operation Name: Light Seeker  
  
Client: Mirage  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 65,000c  
  
Requesting Figure: Paige Anmus  
  
Opponent: Unknown  
  
Enemy Forces: Unknown  
  
Time: 6:06 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: Surface Crater, S-75X900  
  
Briefing:  
  
"We have detected an unknown source of energy below a newly discovered crater. If possible, we would like to take advantage of this situation and gain monopoly of what might be found within. We request that you investigate this energy source and report back whatever you find. You are given strict orders not to disclose this information to all but Mirage. Good luck."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
"Oh, I just LOVE these missions..." He scanned the area. However, the range was limited. "Computer, increase the scanning range."  
  
"The MHD-RE/005 is not designed for wide-range scans." That's great, thought Angelus. Missions weren't his forte, he suddenly remembered. Just then, a red light caught his attention. He headed over to the source of the light. There was a thick, flat, metallic plate on the ground next to the red light. Sections of it were either melted or chipped away. Its surface was heavily scratched. There was a molten line down the middle, as if someone tried to shut something off. A molten area on the plate resembled a skull.  
  
"Computer, identify the object."  
  
"Object identified. Plausible summary: A thick plate of metal covering an unidentified vertical corridor. Dimensions: 12x19 meter rectangle. Thermal scans detect a cold spot radiating from the center of the plate. Scanners are unable to penetrate the plate." The computer voice was as flat as always.  
  
Immediately, Angelus shot the red light with his rifle. A slight humming was heard, but nothing happened. He drew his laserblade. "Computer, switch redzone output to the left arm energy supply."  
  
"Affirmative. MAL-RE/REX energy supply increased to 160."  
  
The MOONLIGHT grew brighter and longer, until it was a blinding beam of plasma. Slowly, Angelus guided the left arm down the middle of the plate, standing at the edge of it. Two minutes later, a complete cut was made, and the mechanical humming strengthened. The plate split open and a humid, ancient draft spat out of the darkness. Retribution plunged into the pit.  
  
"Computer, switch generator to normal mode and activate the night vision." The HUD turned intense green and objects were visible. A large thud ensued. Retribution had landed.  
  
"Error 2464-RA-MLF has occurred. Radar and Mapping sensors are off-line. Unidentified corruption frequencies are detected."  
  
Retribution strolled through the cave. A lost boy's chant can be heard. Angelus ordered that sound to be filtered, but the corruption frequencies occluded the action. He noticed a message on one of the side screens. "Right arm response down by 27%." Must've been that AC, Angelus thought.  
  
Suddenly, a massive storm of noise! A large object veered past Angelus. He glanced about frantically. The sound awakened again behind him, but it was too late. The object raced past him again with unheard of velocities.  
  
"WARNING: LEFT ARM OFF-LINE." Angelus spotted his AC's left arm on the ground, twitching in response to its last electrical charges. His gaze shot ahead. A black-red outline of an AC with blue energy emanating behind it was headed in Angelus' direction. He then blindly attacked from his rifle and two rocket launchers. Three heavy shells spewed from the AC's back, Angelus' rockets off-line. It fired three more bright blue shots. Angelus, too stunned to respond in time, was struck violently by the three shots. The impact knocked Retribution off balance, and it fell back. Its core's face was mangled. Without the left arm, weight distribution in the legs was uneven.  
  
"WARNING: DAMAGE LEVEL EXCEEDS 60%. ESTIMATED AP COUNT: 1658."  
  
The rifle was gone, and so was Angelus it seems. The AC stopped in front of his fallen self, trampled Retribution's right leg, and looked down upon the torso. The core's wound was deep, and Angelus' left leg was scorched and crushed under the dented metal and fortified plastic of the cockpit. One of the side monitors shattered, and a glass shard had pierced his right eye. He opened up the communicator.  
  
"Ha... You got me. Now finish me off. NOW!!!" His voice was angry and void of hope. The AC towered over Retribution, red eyes stared down from the top. A large object from its right hand reluctantly glowed a black-red from the energy shots.  
  
"I guess this is it..." Angelus closed his eyes.  
  
"TARGET VERIFIED. COMMENCING HOSTILITIES."  
  
His eyes reopened wide. 


	3. Offer of Vengeance

Black Feather: Episode III  
  
"Offer of Vengeance"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Branch GC-05  
  
11:38 a.m., 03/06  
  
  
  
"A contingent of Union's Battle MTs have attacked Kisaragi's Weapons Research Laboratory, KWRL-S/09. The damage was extensive and estimated repair costs are 190,000,000c. The attackers have withdrawn and Security is investigating this mat..." The female reporter's voice droned on from the radio alarm.  
  
"zzzZZzzz....ZZzzzZZZzz...hmm...Kara...sa...wa...zzzZZZzz....ah...Titan....z zZZzz..." Qastor was deep in sleep, despite the blaring radio and the bright sunlight pouring from the windows. Birds chirped a harmonious ballad of spring and a breeze of morning seeped in from a small gap in the broad window. A blissful morning...  
  
Someone knocked on the door. "Qastor~! Wake up, sleepyhead! Someone's waiting for you!" The rhythmic voice belonged to one of the best female Ravens, Iris. "Qastor!"  
  
"zzz...wha...WHAT!?....ahhh!" The sunlight made Qastor squint as he launched the radio alarm out of the gap, its thin cord trailing not to far behind. There goes 25c...  
  
The automated sliding door opened and the radiant Iris stepped in, finding Qastor sitting on his bed, trying to overcome the sunlight's brightness.  
  
"Are you doing THAT again? It's like you've never seen the sun before." Iris' tone had a tinge of amusement in it.  
  
"Hey, come on. I'm still getting used to the sun." Qastor sluggishly yawned.  
  
"You could get used to the sun later. Right now, a Sphere personnel is waiting for you. I'll meet you in Conference Room N-07." Iris elegantly strolled out the door.  
  
"Alright, babe." Iris gave a half-amused, half-disgusted scoff in response, leaving Qastor to get ready...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor pumped his legs as fast as he could to Conference Room N-07. While getting ready earlier, he fell asleep again and got up half an hour later.  
  
Whispering, the door opened, and Qastor found Iris, a Sphere personnel, and a Security representative, all but Iris of which were edgy from waiting so long. She kept a pleasant face, although she might have frowned a little when her eyes met Qastor's.  
  
"Sorry I was late. Hahaha...ha..." No one else was laughing, so Qastor just thought he'd shut up and take a seat. He sat next to Iris, much to her exasperation.  
  
"I assume you wanted to see me?" Qastor inquired the Sphere personnel.  
  
"Yes. There have been several random attacks lately, all of which were of different origins. One of our outposts was attacked by one of these groups and we've tracked them down. They have assembled in an abandoned civilian sector, RCS-075, of Realms City." The male Sphere client spoke patiently.  
  
"I believe they were responsible for yesterday's attack on your AC, Mr. Qastor." The Security representative was a sturdy, aged man, with rough brown hair and gray sides. Iris spotted Qastor's hand coil into a clenched fist on his lap. She glanced up at his face and found it grave.  
  
"Seeing that they've performed a misdeed upon you, Mr. Qastor, we'd like to offer you a chance to take revenge. We're willing to reward you an AC part in compensation for your success."  
  
"Iris."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How's my AC?"  
  
"Its repairs are complete." Iris never liked it when Qastor was terse.  
  
"Good. Let's go." Qastor's voice was serious. Eagerness could be sensed, however. Iris got up.  
  
"Iris, I'll do this one alone."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. This is personal." Qastor was wearing a glove on his left hand. Beneath that glove was a burn from trying to ward off the attackers last night.  
  
The three left, leaving Iris sitting in her chair alone. She stared at the fluffy clouds and blue atmosphere, a tree rustling in the gentle wind. Sighing, she got up and tended her business.  
  
After registering the mission contract, it was customary that the client see the employed Raven off into the mission. However, this was not the case. The three parted at the front gate and Qastor left for the hangar. He passed Iris in a hallway.  
  
He gave a reassuring and apologizing smile, and Iris looked thoughtfully at the floor. 


	4. Surrounded

Black Feather: Episode IV  
  
"Surrounded"  
  
Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075  
  
12:20 p.m., 03/06  
  
  
  
"Damn..." Qastor cursed at the Arena availability charts on his way to the hangar. The Raven above him was unavailable. Needless to say, that Raven was always unavailable.  
  
"He's busy again?" 'Twas the voice of Malirant, Qastor's comrade since their co-op Raven initiation test. He was five years Qastor's senior, with a large build and a messy head of hair.  
  
"Gaidoz is a retard anyway... Funny... He stopped participating in the Arena ever since I got to where I am." He looked hatefully at the name on the screen. "Wonder when they'll kick him out?"  
  
"Yeah, a lot of the lower rankin' Ravens are complainin'. Hey, I'm goin' bowlin' tonight. Ya comin'?" Malirant ended the sentence with a big smile, something he's also famous for.  
  
"Nah, I gotta mission to do."  
  
"Ha, is that right? Then, whatcha doin' here?"  
  
"Eh... My client left."  
  
"Well, that's life for ya. Good day, man, good day."  
  
"Yeah, you too..." Qastor blankly said, his eyes glued to the monitor. Iris was way ahead of him. She's in B-3, and look at him, stuck in the gutters of E-15. He took a peek at the top ranking Raven, Angelus, and his sisters, Angeline and Nera. It was weird having the A ranking Ravens to belong from one family, but as Malirant said, "Well, that's life for ya."  
  
Qastor had to check-in before entering the hangar. Ever since yesterday's attack, extra steps were taken to tighten up security. The hangar was a wide expanse. There were rows of individual stalls for each AC. The hangar itself was 10 stories tall, roughly three times the height of a normal AC. Vehicle transportation was available since the place was so huge. Usually, when one would enter the hangar, one will end up on the second floor of the entire hangar. From there, one could mostly see the head, upper arm, and core of an AC. The bottom floor was mainly for maintenance crews and repairmen. When AC assembly was required, it was taken to a special assembly area, complete with cranes, connectors, pumps, and all congenial tools.  
  
Luckily for Qastor, his AC, Xanthippius, was only a short walk from the door. He pushed a button on his remote device, and a hole in the back part of the core, below the overboosters, opened. A ladder came down. Upon getting on it, the ladder would return back into the core, while the shutters of the hole slowly closed. The ladder stopped rising and the cockpit could be seen. It was a little cramp in the cockpit; some small dim lights offered aid in seeing where he was going. Qastor turned the pilot seat around, dropped himself upon it, and swiveled it around again to face the main HUD. A shutter closed behind him and the life-support system activated. He entered his codekey and requested transport. The request accepted and 250c taken from his monetary account, Qastor headed to the loading area. He stepped onto a mobile platform and was placed inside a transport plane.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Mission: Eliminate Terrorists Group "Darkness"  
  
Operation Name: Twisted  
  
Client: Sphere  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 0c  
  
Requesting Figure: Kenneth Gregson  
  
Opponent: "Darkness"  
  
Enemy Forces: 10 MTs  
  
Time: 12:29 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075  
  
Briefing:  
  
"After repeated attacks from terrorists of several origins, we have pinpointed the terrorist group, 'Darkness,' concentrated in Realms City's civilian sector RCS-075. They are responsible for numerous attacks on our property. Taking advantage of this situation will save precious resources and structures that will otherwise be sabotaged by 'Darkness.' We request that you take out their main forces, and the rest we'll deal with."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
"We've arrived at the combat area. Deploying AC." The support bracers holding down Xanthippius withdrew. The thick metallic hatch came down, leaving Qastor free to depart. He gave a deep breath and pushed the right- left pedal.  
  
"Computer, scan the sector." There weren't any signs of enemy MTs traipsing around and nothing showed up on the radar. Xanthippius landed in a narrow street, about four and a half lanes wide.  
  
"Scan complete. No enemy forces detected." Disappointed, Qastor released his grip from the controls. He stared at the green lit radar. His mind wandered...  
  
"Heh... You know, if you spell radar backwards, it comes out the same..." His casual tone returned, but not for long. A red dot flashed on the radar and vanished in an instant.  
  
"Huh...? ...Computer, run the scan aga-" His sentence was interrupted by a sudden bang and a short tremor.  
  
"WARNING: AC DAMAGE DETECTED."  
  
"Computer, trace the direction of the blast!" Qastor glanced frantically around the HUD and back at the radar.  
  
"Origin located. It is south of our direction." Qastor's reflexes activated, Xanthippius turned around.  
  
Nothing...  
  
A dusty draft blew from a gap between two buildings.  
  
Xanthippius shook again.  
  
"DAMN YOU ALL!!! SHOW YOUR BUTT-UGLY MTS NOW, COWARDS!!!!" Qastor's voice could be heard from outside. Just then, Qastor noticed something. He spotted an MT, but it kept reappearing and disappearing, its metallic bodice flickering between reality and nightmare. This could only be...  
  
"Stealth units..." 


	5. Stranger's Laugh

Black Feather: Episode V  
  
"Stranger's Laugh"  
  
Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075  
  
12:38 p.m., 03/06  
  
  
  
Sweat drops raced each other down Qastor's cheek and side. The MTs stopped reappearing, making them completely invisible.  
  
"Am I in a pickle or what..." Although Qastor couldn't see them, he knew he was surrounded in a narrow street. In human standards, the street was quite wide and very long, but with AC's, pretty much everything is too small. He heard the thumping of the MTs' mechanical movement. Stealth conceals an object's appearance and reduces the loudness of the sounds it makes by 50%, but the MTs could still be heard.  
  
Overboosters activated, the MTs fired, but missed as Xanthippius was launched forward at breakneck speeds. OB cut off, Qastor found himself far from his original location. Instinctively, he turned around and wildly fired his grenades. Since it was a long, narrow street, the MTs have little space to move around. However, Xanthippius was also taking repetitive damage from the MTs' volleys. Qastor turned on Stealth extensions of his own, and the damage stopped for now. Out of 15 grenade shells fired, only a couple of MTs were shot down. Qastor boosted backwards to buy more time. Feather boosting above the MTs is a waste of ammo, time, and energy. He can't see where they are, even if he sees where their shots came from, there's no telling where they might move next, so shooting at their original locations is risky but overall, ineffective. Turning down that tactic, Qastor grew tense. "What now!? If I charge in there and go loco chicken with my laserblade, I'll commit suicide! Even with Stealth extensions on, they could still hit me!"  
  
Qastor stopped boosting, and the AI reported damage from behind. "Again!?"  
  
"Helicopters detected. Cursor released." Eight helicopters zipped past, two of which fell victim to Qastor's rifle. They turned around, his OB activated.  
  
"Errrraaaaghhhh!!!" Xanthippius raced towards the helicopters, then unleashing a flurry of blade swings. An enormous dark cloud of smoke erupted from the eradicated helicopters, a giant, floating, stem-less, charred broccoli in the sky. Xanthippius descended from the smoke, landing on one of its knees. The CHD-SKYEYE looked ahead, glaring at the invisible stealth MTs. An unidentified transport plane hovered past from high above.  
  
"AC detected. AC pilot name:..."  
  
"Gaidoz." Qastor's word was heavy with enmity.  
  
Gaidoz's AC, Guernica, descended from the sky, landing on its frail reverse joints. Xanthippius stood up slowly, its single lurid eye fixed on Guernica. Silence heated the tension. The MTs have stopped.  
  
"So, here you are. Finally, I get to kick your a-"  
  
"Hmhmmhmm...hahahahaha....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"  
  
Qastor's silver-blue eyes narrowed.  
  
It wasn't Gaidoz. 


	6. Sacrifice

Black Feather: Episode VI  
  
"Sacrifice"  
  
Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075  
  
12:43 p.m., 03/06  
  
  
  
"Qastor, do you copy?"  
  
"Who... Iris!?"  
  
A gleaming white and purple lightweight AC feathered gracefully from the heavens. "Silvermoon..." the name echoed in Qastor's head.  
  
Guernica stepped forward.  
  
"Keep back!" Qastor cleared his head from everything that was happening.  
  
"Qastor, are you alright!?"  
  
"I'm fine..." The EST. AP COUNT: 4672 message flashed in the right side screen.  
  
"My AC has stealth detection sensors. I'll take care of the MTs and you take out the AC!"  
  
Qastor turned his attention back to Guernica. His glance met Guernica's Spread Laser weapon arms.  
  
"Damn, he'll win if there's a damage race." he thought aloud. In this narrow battlefield, there's no choice but to fly. Xanthippius rose into the sky.  
  
Spears of energy sprayed from Guernica's arms. The shot was too high, but burned and tore off the armor on the right sides of Xanthippius' head and shoulder, exposing the circuitry and wiring. The HUD went haywire for a second and returned to normal.  
  
Qastor feather boosted above Guernica, keeping a constant lock on it. The rifle shots pounded on Guernica's weak armor. Guernica's pathetic movements reflected how bad the pilot was.  
  
"Damn you!" The pilot cursed. "Take this!!!" Ten missiles, one-be-one, bolted straight for Qastor.  
  
"Aarrggh!!!" Qastor juggled the controls, trying to shake off the missiles. Spread shots were fired, but only a few hit their mark, since Xanthippius' erratic movements made it difficult to hold a lock.  
  
Missiles gone, nothing but sky.  
  
Guernica popped up from nowhere in front of Qastor. Acting upon instinct, Qastor drew the laserblade and swung at Guernica's core.  
  
"AAAAHHHH!!------HHH!!---H!!-!!" The opposing pilot's scream crackled. A deep gash of molten metal and wiring was clearly visible on the core. Control of Guernica was lost and it spun towards one of the buildings. The building had a long, pointed communications antenna.  
  
The rifle bullets weakened Guernica's core armor. Falling over 1,000 feet from the sky, Guernica landed on the sword-like antenna. It punctured the back of the core and bursted out the front. Blood can be seen from the tip.  
  
Upon crashing, a small chunk from Guernica's core broke off, exposing the cockpit. Qastor landed and got out of his AC. Iris did the same and they took a look at the cockpit. There he was. The pilot's shirt was heavily stained with blood. His right leg was completely torn off and blood oozed.  
  
Iris gasped, her hands covering her mouth. The antenna had stabbed the pilot on his right chest. It protruded five meters from him.  
  
The sun began to set. It was an early evening.  
  
The pilot struggled to lift his head.  
  
"A...are...y,you...h....happy..........now!?..." The pilot fell silent, with his hand pointing to a building, the other was gripping his chest wound, as if he tried to ease its shrieking pain.  
  
The wind stopped. The birds were quiet.  
  
Iris' eyes shone with tears. She turned towards Qastor. He responded by holding her in his arms.  
  
"Qastor... why...?" She broke into a quiet sob. Qastor felt his shirt moisten.  
  
"That's life nowadays. Now matter how hard we try to attain peace, there will always be a number of people to be sacrificed in the process... I'm sorry..." Qastor's voice was low, almost a whisper. His eyes moistened, also. His entire family was among those sacrificed people. With his remaining strength, he held back his tears. One streamed down his left cheek. Iris felt it drop on her silken hair. She held him tighter.  
  
It felt like an eternity to Qastor when Iris next spoke.  
  
"But, Qastor...?"  
  
"Yes...?"  
  
"How... many...?"  
  
"I don't know... I guess... As many as it takes..." 


	7. Drifting

Black Feather: Episode VII  
  
"Drifting"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Branch GC-05  
  
5:31 p.m., 03/06  
  
  
  
(Brook Rustic Bowling Alley)  
  
"SCHEE----RIKE!!! Malirant scored another whole-in-one.  
  
Qastor gazed blankly at the polished cement walls, leaning forward on his seat, his right fist on his right cheek. Malirant looked back at Qastor and saw his blank expression. He shook his sturdy head and sighed. He strolled toward his friend and warmly patted him on the back.  
  
"You gonna be okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine..."  
  
"What happened to *Gaidoz?"  
  
"Don't ask me right now. I don't feel like talking... Please..."  
  
Malirant opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it instead. He signed out at the registrar and gave a slight jiggle on his keys. That meant he'd wait in the car. How long he'll wait? Right now, as long as Qastor wants...  
  
He walked past Qastor, patted him on the shoulder, headed into the parking lot, and got into the truck. Quiet instrumental music gave him space to think while he tapped to the rhythm.  
  
Qastor signed out.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
(Meanwhile, in Global Cortex Postal Area GCPA-365/B1)  
  
Dear Mother and Father,  
  
"First off, let me tell that I'm perfectly happy where I am. Living on the surface is completely different from Layered. I'm working as a sales representative for Mirage. I receive a good salary. It's good to be independent in such a time as this. I feel empowered by how far I've gone. Anyway, I just want to let you know that I'm fine and am thriving on the surface."  
  
Your Daughter, Iris  
  
Iris held the envelope hesitantly, standing dreamily in the postal area. It was wrong to lie to her parents, but they will severely disapprove of her job of being an elite mercenary. Drops of water pelted at the sidewalks and the crisp aroma of evening rain filled the air. She slid the neat envelope into the drop-off box.  
  
Iris turned to the wandering rain. A timorous moon peeks from a gap in the dense smoke-like clouds, as if it were weeping rain.  
  
She stared at the night's eye, seeking comfort in its moonlight stare. "I wonder if 'he' is looking at the same moon..."  
  
Iris strolled back to her quarters alone; the hallways were empty and void of sound.  
  
Quietly, the doors closed. Iris leaned against it, trying to forget what had happened today. The pilots in the MTs she destroyed had lives too. Families, friends, and memories. But, the MTs themselves made her oblivious to that fact. ACs and MTs are really just masks that turns an innocent person into a murderer without them knowing it. At that moment, she considered quitting her job.  
  
"But if I do that, than I'll have no where else to go, no one else to turn to. My parents expect a lot from me and if I go home now... I'll lose everything if I quit. Even Qastor..."  
  
The moon wept, waiting for the sun's comfort.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
*Gaidoz: He was found unconscious in a building that the dying pilot pointed to. After being rescued by Qastor and Iris, he was taken to Global Cortex Infirmary GCIF-N/03. During that whole time, he was unconscious. The examiner claims that Gaidoz suffered from major bruises and a few fractures. He was 42 years old. 


	8. What Ravens Dream

Black Feather: Episode VIII  
  
"What Ravens Dream"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Branch GC-05  
  
2:16 a.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
"Ravens!? What the hell possessed you to want to become one of those freaks!?"  
  
"Damnit, Dad!! It's my life and that's what I want to do!!"  
  
"Dear... Please calm down..."  
  
"It's no use Carla. If he wants to ruin his life in that... WAR MACHINE, then that's fine. Like he said, it's his life. Go ahead, son... go kill yourself!!"  
  
"Hmph."  
  
"Go on. Get outta here!!!"  
  
Young Qastor briskly walked out of the house, leaving it in disarray. Angry tears ripped down from his reddening eyes. Fake stars glittered the artificial night sky.  
  
"And don't come back!! YOU'RE NOT WELCOME IN THIS HOUSE ANYMORE!!! YOU HEAR ME!!??"  
  
A bitter departing indeed. But, that was only 6 years ago.  
  
"You never know who or what you have until they're gone." This was one phrase Qastor would never forget.  
  
The Controller malfunctioned; its forces attempted to eradicate all of Layered. His entire family lived in one city sector, which was destroyed by The Controller.  
  
Qastor was all alone again, and he didn't know until 4 years later. His piloting skills increased after finding out. He trained constantly to forget his family... his father. But, most of all, to forget his pain. It was during this time that he met THE Raven. The Raven that took down The Controller and brought upon the people of Layered a new chance to start over. This Raven had no name, no past, but he was a model Raven. Cool, collected, and calm, it seemed as if very little could shake his will.  
  
This Raven sat in the benches during one of Qastor's training sessions. It was an hour later that Qastor noticed him. He escaped from the confines of his rudimentary AC.  
  
"Uh... You... were watching everything?"  
  
"Yes, and I must say, I'm impressed. You're quite skilled for an amateur Raven. What's your name, young man?"  
  
"It's Qastor. What's yours?"  
  
"You know what? I don't really have a name."  
  
"What should I call you, then?"  
  
"Hmm, how about... 'Rey Vyn'...? That sound good?"  
  
"Good enough, I guess. So, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, I just come here to think. I received a lot of publicity after "that," so I just come here to be alone."  
  
"That?"  
  
"Yeah, you know. The Controller and all that." He was impassioned when he spoke this.  
  
"Oh~! You're THE Raven! I... uh, didn't notice." Young Qastor scratched the back of his head.  
  
"That's okay. I admit, I enjoyed talking to someone without a request for my autograph. Now, tell me Qastor, what made you want to become a Raven?"  
  
"I'm not sure... I just wanted to make a difference in the world. Unlike my father..."  
  
"Your father?"  
  
"Yeah, he's this 'all-talk no-action' kind of guy."  
  
"You have a grudge against him or something?"  
  
"No, I left my family."  
  
"You should value what you have. Of course, I never had a family, let alone know if I even had one to start with. I missed out a lot of things in life, and I know I can't do anything about it..." He paused for a short while. "Say, tell me something... What's your dream?"  
  
"Me? I... don't really have one. I just let things come their way and I'll figure out how to deal with them then..." Young Qastor turned back to Rey Vyn. "What's your dream, Rey?"  
  
"Well, I've always knew there was a surface somehow... That feeling, you know? And I always knew, that somewhere in that upper paradise, is a family waiting for me. I want to search, but I can't just leave everything behind. So, I come here to think about it."  
  
"That's amazing, Rey. Wish I had big dreams..." Young Qastor's gaze gloomily dropped to the floor, his smile relaxing into a straight, bittersweet line.  
  
"But, you're right. Just let things come together. Maybe then you'll find what you're looking for all this time, even if you didn't know it. Be patient." Rey Vyn encouraged Qastor with a lifting voice.  
  
"I will... I never had big dreams, but you should really pursue what you're looking for, Rey. It's worth it, even if you leave everything behind, right?"  
  
"You got a point there. I'll keep that in mind...... mind......... mind................ mi.......... nd......" Rey Vyn's words echoed into the darkness of a dream.  
  
That was the first time Qastor met Rey Vyn. The next day, Rey Vyn was reported missing, but Qastor had a hunch as to where he went. He also found 1,000,000c left to him in his monetary account and a platinum ring at his door. The ring was sturdy, shimmering, and a flying raven kept vigil on the front. Behind the raven was an etched name, "Rey Vyn."  
  
Qastor wore Rey Vyn's keepsake everyday, but never showed it to anyone. Except Iris. Malirant might have caught a glance at it, but he's not a big fan of jewelry, so he never inquired about it.  
  
__________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor awoke early the next day. He gorged a large breakfast, since he had little to eat yesterday. He cordially refunded the cashier. Checking up on the Arena availability charts, he noticed Gaidoz was taken off the list.  
  
"Aw, yeah. I almost forgot." Malirant had an uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere. Despite his large figure, he carried himself more gracefully than most would expect. "Gaidoz just broke off from the Arena this mornin'. Good news, eh?"  
  
"Huh... Why'd he do that?" Qastor was fixed upon the screen as always.  
  
"Said he was getting' too old for this kind of thing, so he quit."  
  
"I see..." They both remained silent until...  
  
"Hey, look. Vulture's available. Why not take 'em on now?" Malirant's plump index finger pointed at the screen.  
  
Qastor took a look at the specs. Vulture's AC, Scavenger, was a mid-heavy reverse-joint AC with two light grenade launchers and dual arm missile launchers.  
  
"Got some free time, don't ya? I'll be waitin' fer your victory when I come back."  
  
"You're going somewhere?"  
  
"Yep, Sphere offered me a mission. The mission contact guy just left, so there's no rush." Malirant's beamed a wide smile. Qastor sent the challenge to Vulture, which was immediately accepted.  
  
"I'm looking forward to our private duel." Qastor turned around. A frail, tall man came into view.  
  
"Uh... Vulture!" He was behind him the entire time on another availability chart.  
  
"Let's see... The Arena will suffice. How does noon sound?" Vulture spoke confidently, as if Qastor was just another pushover.  
  
"Yeah, noon. Sounds... good."  
  
"Better not be late." Vulture exited the lobby.  
  
"Noon huh... That's..." Qastor looked at his watch. "FIVE MINUTES!!!" It was 11:55 a.m.  
  
"Get 'em good, man!" Malirant slightly waved as Qastor shot out of the lobby.  
  
Qastor sprinted to the Arena registrar, dodging people as he rushed, his numerous apologies returned to those he impacted upon.  
  
"Pilot Vulture is on standby in the Arena. Pilot Qastor, please report to Arena registrar GCA-N/RE-00." The message echoed throughout the hallways. Qastor scoffed with embarrassment.  
  
"Damn, he's fast!" He arrived at the registrar and signed in with active haste.  
  
"AC Xanthippius has been moved to the Arena paddock. Pilot Qastor, please report to Arena paddock GCA-N/PD-00."  
  
No need to rush. The paddock was a short way from the registrar. Nevertheless, Qastor jogged. In a glass hallway near in the Arena, Scavenger was visible. A towering gray and white reverse-joint, with a vibrant pink head. He might have chuckled to himself at the sight of such an AC, but he kept it down, for looks are just looks and only skill mattered in the Arena.  
  
Qastor next found himself inside Xanthippius' cockpit, with Scavenger clearly in his view. 


	9. Duel

Black Feather: Episode IX  
  
"Duel"  
  
Global Cortex Northern Arena GCA-N/00  
  
12:03 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
Vulture was gone.  
  
"What the...!?" Qastor strafe-boosted to the right, making sure that wherever Vulture was, he wouldn't get a clear lock.  
  
"I'm up here, stupid!" Qastor glance shot up and there he was. Vulture was circling near the ceiling of the Arena, just like a real vulture. Xanthippius ran for a bit to recover energy and rose into the air.  
  
"Just where I want you..." Vulture whispered with evil intent and a mad grin wrinkled his face. His iris shrunk. A grenade was fired and insanely dived for Qastor. It missed, but its heat aggravated the thermometer. Vulture's eye twitched. Purple energy emanated from Xanthippius' extensions. With that, Scavenger descended, waiting for the stealth to wear off. Qastor descended also, keeping his distance. OB thrusters revved. The stealth wore off and Vulture activated his machine EO as his opponent raced toward him. Qastor broke left, slicing the EO as he veered. An explosion ensued and Vulture's head was damaged. He quickly turned and fired another grenade. Xanthippius' left arm shook violently and Qastor perspired from the heat. His blade was now a smoldering mess.  
  
"Tch!" Qastor stopped and faced his opponent. Vulture's missile arms opened, revealing several launchers. Small but lethal missiles peeked from them. Vulture achieved 4 locks and fired. Qastor activated his stealth once again and charged. Missiles closed in, all but one veered away. Qastor fired a grenade at the lone missile. The imminent explosion obscured the area in smoke. Vulture waited.  
  
Impatience swelled in his head and he blindly attacked the smoke with a volley of grenades.  
  
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!" Scavenger erupted into a massive conflagration.  
  
Stealth deactivated, Qastor watched from behind Vulture, smoke lazily rose from the barrels of his chain gun. He had fired at Vulture's grenade launchers.  
  
Vulture regained sanity and cursed, "Hell..." The back of Scavenger's core was severely damaged. Energy supplementation and launch mechanisms for the EO were exposed.  
  
"Battle over. Pilot Qastor wins." A computerized voice reverberated throughout the Arena.  
  
"I should take you more seriously next time." Vulture released his grip from the controls and stretched.  
  
"There won't be a next time." Qastor was calm when he replied. Vulture stopped in the middle of his stretch.  
  
"Hahahah... Don't count on it, boy." There was a painful rasp in Vulture's voice.  
  
The recovery team entered and Qastor got out. He glimpsed about the Arena and something caught his eyes.  
  
It was Iris, sitting on a far empty audience bench, exactly where Rey Vyn last sat. Their eyes met and she smiled, although he could not see... The multi-layered energy field protecting the audience area hummed to a stop. A recovery crewman asked him a question about his laserblade.  
  
When Qastor looked back, Iris disappeared. 


	10. Light

Black Feather: Episode X  
  
"Light"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Branch GC-05  
  
12:46 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
"Pilot Qastor, please report to transport area GCH-TL-N/00. Your AC part has arrived."  
  
Qastor could barely contain the excitement of getting a new AC part. He made a brisk walk to the transport area, for the duel had exhausted him.  
  
It was as large as an AC's chain gun, and resembled a plasma cannon's rail barrel.  
  
"Hey, uh... What kinda weapon is this?" Qastor inquired the transport pilot with a puzzled expression.  
  
"It's a..." The pilot looked at a stat sheet and replied... "...a Rail Gun? That's it." He soon handed it over to Qastor for a look-see.  
  
SWC-X-RG/25  
  
Manufacturer: Sphere  
  
Type: Rail Gun  
  
Weight: 597  
  
Energy Drain: 79  
  
Weapon Lock: Special  
  
Attack Power: 3750  
  
Ammo Heat: 326  
  
Range: 1000  
  
Maximum Lock: 1  
  
Reload Time: 75  
  
Number of Ammo: 25  
  
Ammo Type: Solid  
  
Ammo Price: 120  
  
Usage Drain: 1200  
  
Description  
  
"Powerful magnetically-propelled projectile stealth cannon. Penetrates armor."  
  
"Hmm... This is nice. And 597 kilograms! I should replace the grenade launcher, maybe?" Qastor wondered aloud. He later requested the chief mechanic to switch his new part with the grenade launcher. His stomach growling, Qastor followed the scent of the cafeteria.  
  
"Two deli sandwiches." The cook went to work immediately. A television monitor was viewing some breaking news. Feeling a tad bit outdated, Qastor concluded that he should tune in.  
  
"...in the year. On a more tragic note, an unknown force in Falkirk City's Industrial Sector FIS-076 massacred Sphere's squad of MTs and an AC. Many are killed and only a few survived. Fortunately, the unknown force withdrew shortly after a reinforcement squad repulsed the oppressors. Repair costs to the..."  
  
Qastor blinked hard at the screen. He got out his wallet, readying his credit card.  
  
"Here ya go. That'll be 8c." Qastor handed the cook his card, still staring at the television monitor, but not paying any attention to what was being viewed. After sliding the card down an acquisition device, the cook handed Qastor back his card. He grabbed the bag of sandwiches and shoved his wallet down his right pocket.  
  
"Qastor!" Iris was running toward him. She quickly grabbed his right hand and started pulling.  
  
"Come on! It's an emergency!"  
  
"Iris, what's wrong?" Qastor's eyes were wide, his eyebrows gave him a confused expression.  
  
"We've got to hurry!!"  
  
"But-" His sentenced ended when Iris turned to him. A hopeless sparkle danced in her eyes.  
  
"It's Malirant... He's..."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Everything was a mad palette of faces and doors. A river of light flowed on the ceiling.  
  
Qastor and Iris hurried to the infirmary and caught up with the rushing paramedics. Malirant was being rushed to the emergency care unit. Qastor ran ahead and synchronized his speed with the hasty paramedics.  
  
"Malirant! You okay!?" Malirant barely opened his eyes.  
  
"Qastor...? Hey... you know me... I'm always... fine..." Malirant struggled to speak. It sounded as if something had stolen his air from his lungs. His throat was a wooden canvas with crimson streaks painted across. It throbbed with pain and hurt even more as he spoke. But, for his best comrade, he spoke calmly.  
  
"What happened!?" Qastor face was a mix of sorrow and anger.  
  
"...Aw... just... got the wind... knocked out of me... That's... all..." Malirant close his eyes. He struggled to breathe.  
  
"Malirant... Malirant!!" Qastor stopped. The paramedics barged into the emergency care unit. The empty hallway was quiet all of a sudden.  
  
Iris stood silently behind him.  
  
"Qastor..." His hands became clenched fists. Iris moved to comfort him, but he started forward and wearily took a seat on a nearby bench. She slowly joined him.  
  
Qastor sat hunched over, with his hands covering his face. He would occasionally put them down on his lap and look the other way. And a moment later, he would put them to his face again. Iris stared blankly at the reflecting floor. The only noise was a low, whispering electronic hum. An hour later, Qastor sat up to say something, but found Iris' head on his right shoulder sound asleep. He rubbed her shoulder and looked up at the ceiling. The slightly dim lights hypnotized him into sleep.  
  
"Qastor... Thank you..." Iris whispered in her sleep. 


	11. Sphere

Black Feather: Episode XI  
  
"Sphere"  
  
Global Cortex Infirmary GCIF-N/04, Emergency Care Unit Branch  
  
5:59 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
"...Qastor...! Where are you going...!?"  
  
"...I'm going... to find my grave...!!"  
  
The raining garden...  
  
The grave...  
  
Qastor wiped the epitaph...  
  
"A Raven...  
  
Torn between two powers...  
  
Died here...  
  
May he rest in peace..."  
  
Qastor's heart skipped... He clenched his fist, and felt the pressure of his ring... his ring...  
  
"My ring..."  
  
He began to dig into the grave, pushing and scraping dirt away. His labor came to fruition, and revealed a black lacquer canister... Qastor forced the cap open...  
  
A platinum ring rested in top of the ashes...  
  
With haste, Qastor placed the canister, still open, upon the dirt, unraveled his glove, and there, upon his ring finger, was Rey Vyn's keepsake...  
  
He picked up the ring from the canister and held it close to his own to compare...  
  
They were exact twin rings... The luster... the engraved raven... the etched name, "Rey Vyn"... the same... exactly the same...  
  
"H... how...? HOW!?" Qastor fell to his knees, shutting is eyes tightly...  
  
...This... is the truth... It's been that way... for the past year...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"...Right now, a Sphere personnel is waiting for you..."  
  
"...Yep, Sphere offered me a mission..."  
  
"...an unknown force in Falkirk City's Industrial Sector FIS-076 massacred Sphere's squad of MTs and an AC..."  
  
"Sphere... Sphere... SPHERE!!!" Fluorescent lights invaded Qastor's senses. Cold sweat crudely decorated his face. Iris was gone.  
  
Eyes ahaze, Qastor wiped them accordingly, scanning the hallway when they cleared up. Nothing changed. Still quiet as the clock struck 6:00 p.m. in silence. He noticed that the emergency light that hung over the door leading to the emergency care unit was off. The sliding door made way as Qastor dashed to the ECU.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
A breathing mask covered Malirant's nose and mouth. Bandages coiled around his throat. It was strange to Qastor, to see Malirant in this condition so suddenly. His armor-like chest rose up and settled down, barely capturing the oxygen from the mask. Shoe thumps intensified as the doctor entered.  
  
"Oh, sorry to interrupt." The doctor stopped in his tracks, looking at Qastor, then at Malirant. "Are you a friend of his?"  
  
"Yes... Yes, I am." He glanced at the doctor from the corner of his eye, and looked back. "Doct-"  
  
"He's lucky to be alive. His AC's cockpit collapsed. The glass from the screens shattered forward and tore his throat. But, that's not the real injury."  
  
"It's not?" If Qastor could look anymore hopeless, than he would've done so. An ominous shadow crept from the darkness and into his heart. Qastor's shoulders sank.  
  
"The impact damaged his vocal cords. It's a miracle he was able to speak to you on the way here."  
  
"........." The doctor walked over to the end of the bed. He picked up and looked over some notes on a table. "What impact...?"  
  
The doctor looked up from his notes, his eyes above his glasses. "His AC was struck by a heavy metallic object. Possibly one of those right arm blades you Ravens use."  
  
A moment passed. Maybe more, but Qastor couldn't care any less. Iris made his way into his mind.  
  
"Um... Doctor?"  
  
"It's Taylor."  
  
"Doctor Taylor, have you seen a female Raven anywhere?"  
  
"Ah, yes. I almost forgot." Dr. Taylor reached into his pocket and drew out an immaculate folded piece of paper. "She left you a note." He cordially handed Qastor the note.  
  
"I'm sorry I left so soon. Sphere called me up for a mission request. I couldn't refuse. I'll probably be gone by the time you wake up. Hope to see you soon. -Iris"  
  
"P. S.: Tell Malirant I said 'hi' if he wakes up while I'm gone."  
  
"Sphere..." That name echoed in his head. His eyes widened. "Iris!"  
  
The doctor turned. He noticed only himself and Malirant in the room. His eyes glanced about and found the note on the floor. 


	12. Dormant Calamity

Black Feather: Episode XII  
  
"Dormant Calamity"  
  
Astrict Barrens  
  
6:32 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
Qastor chased the moon, glaring directly in front of him on the HUD as he traversed the night expanse.  
  
"What are you staring at?" Qastor had found a paper copy of the mission contract between Iris and Sphere in her dormitory. It now lied on the cockpit floor; a crumpled orb rolling as the AC swayed.  
  
His palms were moist under his synthetic gloves. The transport lines doubted his intentions and denied him of any use of a transport. He had been boosting and overboosting across the barren plains for twenty-five minutes, worried he might be too late to save Iris.  
  
"First me, then Malirant, and now... No, not Iris. Not if I'm around..." Qastor's thoughts sounded doubtful, but promising. He glimpsed at the left side screen, fixed on his new weapon, Sphere's new Rail Gun. He had wanted to switch it with his old light grenade launcher, fearing that the weapon might not work when the time came, but he needed to get to Iris as quickly as he can. His suspicions with Sphere strengthened as the night grew dark. Qastor turned on the news-frequency.  
  
"...for the best. Sphere, one of the newest surface Corporations, has come under heavy scrutiny as of late. Reports state that many Ravens have turned up missing during Sphere's missions. Here to speak with us is Vulture, a Raven who once worked for Sphere... umm..." Whispers in the radio background stirred.  
  
"Where is he!?"  
  
"Don't ask me! He never showed up!"  
  
"Mmmnnn!!" The reporter's voice returned to its usual loudness. "We apologize for the delay. Our guest is currently absent..." Qastor turned it off. A rise in the terrain, almost a cliff, came into view. He took a better look in the air. There it was.  
  
The crater.  
  
A swirling tempest of darkness swirled in the obscured center. A primordial fear breathed in Qastor's body, screaming and ordering him to turn back, before the nest of shadows devoured him. Iris had experienced the same fear. As did all humans who attempted to enter. who got anywhere near 'its' components.  
  
It was growing ever so black; the shadows in the crater seem to jump devilishly about. Qastor shook his head, trying to ward off whatever it was that possessed his mind. Xanthippius plunged into the swarthy nightmare.  
  
A hole in the ground was visible. Two steel slabs covered its left and right sides. A large object rushed past him. Qastor turned around, the CHD-SKYEYE shifting from left to right, right to up, and up to down left again.  
  
"Computer, what was that!?" Qastor's heart raced. He spoke quickly.  
  
"No movement detected." Was it just his imagination?  
  
A large stomp tremored the ground behind him. Qastor swiveled and something stopped him.  
  
"An AC!? Aaarrgghh!!!" A monstrous pressure was sensed on Xanthippius' neck. A trepidation rung from head to toe.  
  
The AC was choking Xanthippius. 


	13. Lenore

Black Feather: Episode XIII  
  
"Lenore"  
  
Surface Crater S-75X900  
  
6:38 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
Sparks flew as Qastor swiped the AC's hand with his laserblade. He withdrew to a safe distance, catching sight of the AC's left arm, smoke rose from where the blade struck.  
  
The AC aimed its large right weapon. Qastor reacted, but stopped, his adrenaline accelerating his heart. The AC froze, holding its posture like a doomsday statue. A blue glow awakened in its weapon. A quiet hum crept into Qastor's ears, eventually turning into a loud roar. Electricity gathered into the weapon's barrel. The ground quaked.  
  
A cerulean flash thundered its way towards Qastor, as if he were the sun's prey. The overboosters reacted and Xanthippius escaped with a graze on his left shoulder and Stealth extension, racing right. A shockwave explosion blasted where the AC's enormous shot landed. Qastor followed up with his rifle. The AC dashed backwards, slowly turning towards Qastor and absorbing his rifle bullets. The AC's dual-missile launcher positioned itself. Qastor reacted by activating his extensions. Another of the AC' shoulder weapons positioned itself, the missile launcher eased. The AC made its way towards him, firing triple rockets once every second. A few direct hits were more than enough to make Qastor switch to his chain gun. Suddenly, the AC raced, its overboosters burned behind it.  
  
"Damn!" The AC caught up to Qastor and swung its MOONLIGHT blade. It barely missed as Qastor boosted back, but left him open to fire. A blue crescent wave was nearing Xanthippius' torso, the armor reflecting the blade wave's luminescence. Qastor escaped again by breaking left, the wave only a few centimeters from touching him. Qastor remembered his Rail Gun.  
  
"It better work!!" The weapon positioned itself, its long rail barrel oozed with electricity, the numerous rails of magnets illuminated. Qastor pressed the trigger button. The weapon screamed. The AC stopped. "Huh?"  
  
The rail bullet landed a mile away in less than half a second, sending a sharp ping that reverberated throughout the crater and into the sky. One of the AC's eyes was replaced by a smoldering hole. The bullet had penetrated its armor and punched a hole in its head. Stars in the night were visible through the AC's head. It overboosted straight for Qastor. He reacted and boosted backwards. He fired another shot.  
  
A sphere of sparks laughed and the AC's left arm radius dropped to the ground, the MOONLIGHT landing with it. The rail bullet had ripped the AC's left arm elbow joint asunder. The AC pointed its deadly weapon. Missiles dived towards the AC from behind Qastor.  
  
"What the... Where!?"  
  
"Qastor, get Iris now!" The voice sounded faintly familiar. The incoming missiles missed as the AC dashed right.  
  
"G-Gaidoz!" Qastor boosted left, nearing the hole in the ground.  
  
"Leave this guy to me and save her! We don't have much time!!" Qastor could tell he had not fully recovered from yesterday's ordeal. Gaidoz's voice labored, but was adamant.  
  
"What about you!?"  
  
"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine..." Doubt riddled his words. His gray and red AC landed roughly. His core was new.  
  
Qastor leapt into the abyss. Bright specks adorned the night sky.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
He drifted in nevermore. Dim luminescence from the cockpit screens seemed to come alive in the howling void. Blood rushed to his head as Xanthippius wandered into the deep.  
  
Invisible pebbles and boulders launched from their resting place. Xanthippius had landed. A 3-D map guided Qastor ahead. It was a gargantuan cave, but a steel-clad corridor was dead ahead.  
  
A metallic clash disturbed the confined expanse, the rocks clicked and flipped upon the damp, stone floor. Qastor hurried, the undead cave denizens stirred.  
  
The corridor made way. Another even larger cave came into view. A ponderous metallic pillar, illuminated with a thousand suns, slowly spun in the center.  
  
"Q... Qastor... h... help..." Qastor gasped. It was Iris.  
  
A crimson and jet-black AC stood near the pillar, its details barely distinguishable against the spinning rays. Silvermoon, heavy damaged and irreparable, hung suspended in the air by the AC's left hand. The hand trembled slightly, choking Silvermoon, electricity sparked from her neck while its circuits slowly snapped, one... by... one...  
  
"LET GO OF HER!" Qastor fired his Rail Gun, only grazing the AC's hand and swaying it slightly to the side. Its head turned to Qastor and tossed Silvermoon like a pillow. She landed right in front of Qastor.  
  
"IRIS!!" Xanthippius kneeled down.  
  
"Qastor......" Iris whispered hopelessly.  
  
"Hahahahahah..." The AC stared at the pathetic duo. Its eyes glared a vibrant turquoise. "That voice..."  
  
"Who are you!?" Qastor's voice tremored with fear and enmity.  
  
"Don't you remember me?" A hollow metallic rasp was apparent in the voice.  
  
"No. I don't!" Qastor spoke low and sharp.  
  
"It is I... Rey Vyn." 


	14. One and Nine

Black Feather: Episode XIV  
  
"One and Nine"  
  
???  
  
6:53 p.m., 03/07  
  
  
  
"Rey Vyn... WHY!?" Qastor's throat dried from yelling.  
  
"Hahahahahahah... Yes... She was in my way..." The AC's head rose. "Look!! My eternal search shall soon come to an end!! My brethrens are summoning me!! Harvest of December... IT SHALL BE SOON!!" The entire cave came to life. Hidden machinery set the cave ablaze with astounding pigments. Symbols on the walls performed a dance macabre.  
  
Qastor eyes fell to Iris, as if the astonishing spectacle disinterested him. He simply didn't care.  
  
"Now, my young Nevermore! Brace yourself, for you will experience the ultimate end!!" Rey Vyn's AC gleamed crimson. Qastor prepared himself.  
  
"Rey Vyn!! You'll pay for hurting her!! I-" Something behind him emerged from the shadows.  
  
"Qastor, get Iris out of here now!"  
  
"Vulture...!"  
  
"There's no time, stupid!! Sphere's entire bomber fleet is headed this way! They'll blow this place up and you with it if you don't escape!!" Qastor climbed out of his AC, dashing for Iris. He forced Silvermoon's broken cockpit shutters. Vulture and Rey Vyn stood like statues.  
  
"Iris..." He found her unconscious in her seat, blood trickled down from her head. Qastor carried her in his arms.  
  
He found himself in the confines of his cockpit with Iris lying across his lap, making it difficult for him to reach the controls. The cave bellowed.  
  
"Hurry up!! They're already bombing the place!" Vulture fired a grenade directly at Rey Vyn, only to witness it deflected with a wave of the lurid AC's hand. Spinning, the grenade arched and landed a hundred meters away.  
  
"Fine! You'll be my new toy for now." Vulture stepped back in response.  
  
Xanthippius boosted out of the pillar-room. Boulders fell from the ceiling of the cave. As the steel corridor closed, Qastor caught a glimpse of a blood red laserblade decimating straight through Scavenger's core. He winced and rose up from the abyss.  
  
The star-studded night opened up around him. Shadows of dark jets and massive bombers clouded the sky, their shrieking thrusters gave a continuous trepidation upon the earth. Qastor landed on the firm ground to recover energy. He scanned the area for any signs of Gaidoz. Something caught his eye.  
  
Near him lay the smoldering, blackened remains of Guernica. It was decapitated and one of its legs lay thirty meters away. The oppressing AC was nowhere to be found.  
  
Qastor activated his stealth extensions to appear undetectable to the multitude of the bombers. He turned around, overboosters activated, and made his way back to base.  
  
Iris' head rested on his now relaxed shoulders, gently breathing against his neck.  
  
Erupting, the crater blasted up into the sky behind Xanthippius... 


	15. Anoxic Dawn

Black Feather: Episode XV  
  
"Anoxic Dawn"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Branch GC-05  
  
12:00 a.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
"Someone get Security, NOW!!"  
  
"Fire! FIRE!!"  
  
"ALL RAVENS, PLEASE EVACUATE TO A NEARBY ESCAPE ZONE."  
  
"Get to the evacuation zone immediately!!"  
  
"The hangars! They're..."  
  
Disaster struck at midnight. A tumult of rapid footsteps and hollers were overshadowed by the screaming alarm. Global Cortex rumbled again, accompanied by a booming groan.  
  
"Qastor!! NO!! RETURN TO THE ESCAPE ZONE!!"  
  
"I have to get Malirant!!" Just like that, Qastor disappeared into the obscuring chaos. The hallway lights flashed red, then white-tan, and red again, only to repeat the urgent pattern once again.  
  
The infirmary was in shambles. Ruins blocked off the entrance. A violent shock tossed Qastor off balance.  
  
"Malirant! Damn..." His eyes found themselves focusing upon a sector map embedded in the opposite wall. "The northern hangar..." He picked himself up when a fleeing clerk spotted him.  
  
"Mr. Qastor!! Where are you going!?" It was too late, for he was already out of sight. Exasperatingly, the clerk parted ways.  
  
The northern hangar was unharmed, waiting for Qastor's arrival.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Qastor!? Qastor!!" Iris sought wildly about. A Raven ran towards her. "Excuse me! Have you seen Qastor!?"  
  
"No, I haven't!" The Raven was gone.  
  
"Qastor..."  
  
"Miss Iris!" Security guards came into view, accompanied by a few other Ravens. "Please get to the evacuation zone!" One of the guards motioned her to follow.  
  
Iris found herself sitting in a personnel transport a moment later. She stared at the dying base; flames blanketed the south section, while the east section was annihilated. All of the hangars were destroyed. Scores of fighter jets and a swarm of helicopters repetitively fired at the base. Several massive bombers hung about in the air, the Sphere insignia shone proudly upon its wings.  
  
Two ACs retaliated against the swarm.  
  
_____________________________  
  
Iris opened her eyes. A flood of sunlight stroked against the blankets.  
  
"A...dormitory?" Squinting, Iris looked about the room. Everything seemed the same. She found herself sitting upon a bed. Removing the blankets, she stood on the familiar, glossy marble floor. Iris walked up to the open window and stared into the horizon. She listened...  
  
"No songbirds..." A sun-warmed breeze brushed against her hair. A morning hum in the distance lingered. It was peaceful... no, it was... stagnant...  
  
The aromatic wind returned her memories back to her. Iris hurried to door. It revealed a bustling hall of people as it split open. The ceiling arched twenty-five feet up, and a broad row of glass panels that ran along the center exposed the sky.  
  
The door closed behind her. Iris strolled the hallway, trying to absorb what had happened.  
  
"Sphere..." She thought to herself. "They attacked Global Cortex at exactly midnight... Qastor's gone and Malirant's nowhere to be seen..." Iris was deep in thought when...  
  
"Outta my way! I'm late!! I'M LATE!!" A young lady exploded from an adjacent hallway and collided into Iris.  
  
She almost fell, but the young lady was sitting on the floor, dazed.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you ok?"  
  
"Ow... huh? Oh, Iris! It's you!"  
  
"Wha... Rose? Rose! You're alive!" Iris smiled for the first time in five days. Rose stood up with Iris' help.  
  
"I'm so happy to see you! I thought you were..." Rose looked at the ground at the end of her sentence, but looked up at Iris again as soon as she began another one. "Look, we'll talk later. I'm late for my scouting round. See ya later!" Iris looked on as the vibrant young lady bolted away.  
  
Iris came across an electronic map of the entire structure. It was Global Cortex.  
  
"But, how..." Iris' stopped when the name 'Layered' appeared at the side of the screen.  
  
"Welcome home." Iris turned around. A woman was walking towards her.  
  
"Valkyrie!"  
  
"Call my Kyrie." Kyrie peacefully smiled. Iris nodded. "Are you lost?"  
  
"I guess I am." Iris looked away. "Do you mind telling me what happened?"  
  
Kyrie turned her gaze up into the sky. "We are in District 2 of Layered. After last night's attack, all the remaining survivors from Global Cortex's Surface Base retreated to Nephilon City, where Layered's main surface elevator is located. Sphere chased us and heavily damaged a transport ship, the one you were on. We rode the elevator down to Layered and took shelter here, in Layered's Global Cortex."  
  
"I see..." Iris waited a few seconds. "Kyrie? Have you seen Qastor and Malirant?"  
  
Kyrie looked puzzled. "They are...?"  
  
"My friends."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I haven't. But, don't worry! If anyone sees them, I'll make sure you'll be the first to know."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Kyrie nodded, and with that, she returned to her duties. Iris checked the map again. A cafeteria was located near. Feeling a bit hungry, she headed down, hoping it was still in operation.  
  
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of Layered, sinister eyes dwell in the darkness. 


	16. Disorder

Black Feather: Episode XVI  
  
"Disorder"  
  
Trene City Residential Block LD1-RB/04  
  
12:39 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
Roads were clean. Swing sets were gently nudged by a noon breeze. No one on the sidewalk, no vehicles roared near or far. Not a soul in sight. A quiet neighborhood...  
  
Iris walked along slowly, gathering her courage. For the first time in five years, she was going to see her parents again. A faint childhood habit prevented her from stepping over any cracks in the sidewalk.  
  
She stood on the front porch of her home. The garden azaleas whispered with the wind while the grass blades shivered. Iris pushed the buzzer. No answer. She pushed it again. No luck.  
  
A large ring knocker with a lion's visage glared at Iris. She held the knocker, lifted it up, and struck three times. This time, the door did open. A little...  
  
Iris noticed that the lock was broken. She pushed the door open. It was dark inside. Dark and untouched...  
  
She took a cautious step forward. The floor creaked. A familiar smell mixed with dust wafted against Iris' nose. The old three-legged stand was lying on the floor, it's Victorian lamp lay shattered near the fireplace. Cracks streaked across the corners of the marble coffee table. Wood boards covered the ancient windows with beams of light flowing in from the gaps. Iris stepped on something. It was the family portrait. She picked it up and stared longingly. Her father sat to her right and her mother to her left. Their hands were placed on her shoulders. Young Iris had her hands on her lap; they all smiled peacefully. She placed the portrait on a nearby chair, where her old, tiny doll lay. She held it up to the light. Its features welcomed her to reminisce...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Daddy, Daddy! Look what I got!" Young Iris waved the doll in the air, withdrew, and hugged it tightly.  
  
"Do you like it, dear?"  
  
"I love it! Thanks Mommy! You too Daddy!"  
  
"Hahaha. You're welcome, honey........ you're..... wel...... ..... come...... hon.....ey....." Her father's voice fleeted back into her distant memories.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Something caught her eye. Iris dropped the doll, as if enchanted by the object. A puff of dust swirled as the doll lightly pounded on the floor.  
  
There was a vanilla colored note on the dinner table. It was partially covered with dust and the paper wasn't eaten away. "Maybe it's new..." she thought. Iris took it in her hands and unveiled it.  
  
"Painted skies...  
  
Deep in your eyes...  
  
From His pyre of lies...  
  
A new raven shall arise..."  
  
The message puzzled her. But, this was not the time to solve it, for suddenly, the entire house stirred and rocked. The ground quaked, then stopped. It quaked again. Now, it came again and again, off and off...  
  
The note vanishing from her grasp into faded memories, and not noticing, Iris rushed outside. She gasped.  
  
A kilometer ahead of her was a giant insectoid. It resembled a spider, only its 'skin' gleamed in the sun and a heavily serrated mouth drooled on the front of the body. Its twenty-meter long limbs lifted its body, facing the sun. Its saw-rows off teeth stirred, singing a piercing shriek which shattered the neighborhood windows. Iris cupped her ears with her palms. It stopped.  
  
A pillar of light was released from its mouth. It sailed right past Iris as she shielded herself. It landed a kilometer away and incinerated all objects in its ensuing blast.  
  
A cluster of bloodshot eyes unraveled above its mouth.  
  
Iris caught its glimpse. 


	17. Sun Strand

Black Feather: Episode XVII  
  
"Sun Strand"  
  
Layered District 2  
  
12:53 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
The arachnid charged directly towards Iris, boring holes in the roofs of houses with its massive stabbing legs and scarring the lawns and gardens. Its astounding mobility caused Iris to step back.  
  
The arachnid stopped abruptly, pushing a foul draft against Iris. Its mouth cannon powered up, chuckling with immense energy. A growing moan from its body caused a trepidation in the air. Iris squinted and blocked her eyes from the ungodly light from its mouth. Everything was quiet again.  
  
Iris slowly opened her eyes, her arms at ease. The spider-like freak was incinerated. Its body lay smoldering on the pavement. An enormous shadow crept over Iris. She turned around.  
  
"Rose!" Her red and black green AC stood with smoke rising from its rocket launcher.  
  
"Iris, get back to base immediately! They're coming from all directions!! Hurry!"  
  
"What about you!?"  
  
"I'll be fine! Take that car behind me!"  
  
Iris dashed for the still-activated convertible behind Rose. It was almost out of fuel, but there was more than enough to get back to the base.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
(Global Cortex)  
  
"What in heavens..." The watchman motioned Kyrie to take a look at the long-range monitor. She stared at it for a moment, trying to comprehend what was happening. Blankets of stirring giant insectoids were approaching from the horizon. Kyrie winced.  
  
"Let us evacuate." Kyrie turned and walked away from the monitor.  
  
"We can't! By the time we completely evacuate from the base, the main elevator will be long overran by those freaks!!" The watchman was standing up from his swivel chair. Kyrie had stopped. She nodded and proceeded.  
  
Cursing, the watchman turned on the microphone.  
  
"All personnel. Begin evacuating the premises immediately! I repeat: Begin evacuating the premises immediately!!" With that, he hastily grabbed his coat and followed Kyrie, leaving the screen on. One of the arachnids appeared suddenly. The reception sizzled and silenced...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Iris arrived at the base, finding it in a chaotic bustle. Kyrie caught her eye. She was hurrying through the crowd in an outdoor cloistered hallway. A sturdy man carrying a coat struggled to follow her.  
  
"Kyrie!" She didn't hear. "Kyrie!!" She turned and saw Iris. She waved her hand, motioning Iris to follow. Iris sprinted and caught up with Kyrie in a short while. It wasn't until they reached the western hangar that they spoke.  
  
"They're coming, aren't they?" Iris spoke quietly as they stood facing the remaining ACs salvaged from the surface base. Iris' new AC was one of them.  
  
"We have to hurry. If they overrun the main elevator, then our chances of escaping are slim." At the end of her sentence, Kyrie made haste for her AC. The man did the same.  
  
"What are you goin-"  
  
"We have to protect the transports! Are you g-gonna help out or what?" The man's voice stumbled a little as he ran.  
  
Iris glanced at Silvermoon. 


	18. Iris of the Staring Moon

Black Feather: Episode XVIII  
  
"Iris of the Staring Moon"  
  
Layered District 2  
  
1:08 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
"Main system. Engaging combat mode."  
  
"This is Virgil. District scan indicates approximately 86,354 biomechanical entities in this layer alone. I don't think we can take 'em all out by ourselves..." The man who followed Kyrie finally identified himself, pressing a multitude of buttons scattered about the walls and low ceiling of his cockpit.  
  
"We don't have to. Just defend the mobile land transports up to the main elevator. Two of you will escort the transport to the surface, in case any Sphere forces are waiting. The rest of us will hold out until the elevator comes back down. The elevator is fairly quick and durable, so I don't think it should fall very easily. All the other sub-stream elevators are out of service. Should the need arise, I've already activated the base' security systems." Kyrie spoke quickly and clearly. They were already outside waiting for the transports.  
  
"This is Legionnaire. I've been requested of assistance." A snow-white AC possessing a sparse repertoire of a laserblade and a grenade rifle entered the scene.  
  
"Where's BB and Royal Mist?" Kyrie tried to sound relaxed while Iris gazed in awe at the approaching hordes.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here..." BB's AC was overweight, but still managed to carry itself. Royal Mist trudged along behind BB. "Him too..." Royal Mist grinned inside Kaiser's fuselage.  
  
"Where's Rose?" Iris finally spoke.  
  
"I think she should be back soon." Virgil sounded sure.  
  
"Transports ready. Let's head out." Royal Mist went first, but BB caught up and led the squad.  
  
Iris scanned the area for Rose, but to no avail.  
  
Mission: Defend Allied Transports  
  
Operation Name: Desperation  
  
Client: -  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 0c  
  
Requesting Figure: Valkyrie  
  
Opponent: Unknown  
  
Enemy Forces: 80,000-90,000 Units  
  
Time: 1:10 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: District 2 Elevator Route 03  
  
Briefing: -  
  
Summary: Defend the allied transports to the main surface elevator.  
  
"Almost there..." BB was anxious.  
  
"I'm picking up something... There's three of them." Virgil winced when...  
  
"AW YEAH!! WHERE!? WHERE!?!?" BB's aggressiveness returned as his voice hollered. Unsteady eyes found his prey. "I'll take care of 'em! I'll meet up once I rip it a new one!!" With that, BB branched off into an early battle.  
  
Nervous, the transport drivers picked up their pace. They arrived barely before the things did.  
  
"Alright. Get on and hurry. Who goes with the transport?" Royal Mist inquired. He was quite intent on staying behind and fighting to the last moment.  
  
"Legionnaire and Virgil will go." Kyrie ordered, but Virgil objected.  
  
"Just go. You want to stay here and fight some giant spiders?" Iris settled it with constricting words. Virgil shivered at the thought of immense spiders and went ahead.  
  
"Here they are..." Royal Mist braced his controls. The first one came from the front. It easily fell to Royal Mist's EO.  
  
"Don't underestimate them. We still have much over 85,000 to go." Kyrie moved away from the elevator, as if to draw the enemies away from it. Another one charged up its mouth, but a sniper bullet from Kyrie dived into it, causing it to erupt into a sphere of hot plasma. Three other ones adjacent to it were heavily burned.  
  
"Aim for their mouths! That's their weak point!!" Royal Mist slaughtered another with his howitzer. The shell sailed into the creature's mouth and ignited; the creature bursted into strips of metal and torn flesh.  
  
Iris focused her rockets into the horde, aiming at their agitating mouths. A larger creature lifted itself with its legs, towering over Silvermoon. Iris turned, and the monstrosity was engulfed in a searing conflagration.  
  
"Having trouble?" BB's rough voice was jumpy from battle fury; his spread bazooka was heated, but ready. His AC overboosted to a nearby victim.  
  
Iris dodged a blast from an arachnid, only to find Kaiser taking the hit.  
  
"Mist!" She found Kaiser's back steaming with smoke and black.  
  
"Damn, I'm overheating!" Royal Mist checked his status screen. His left EO was offline.  
  
Their efforts were in vain. For every creature they destroy, two more would take its place. It was a losing battle.  
  
"The elevator's coming back down! Everyone, get ready!" Kyrie boosted closer to the elevator, taking out any potential creature that will harm it.  
  
"What about Rose!? We can't just leave her behind!" Iris suddenly remembered.  
  
"It's too late!! If we stay here any longer, then those six-legged freaks'll be munching on our ACs!!" Royal Mist waited for Kyrie to get on.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Tell ya what, young lady! Ya go look fer yer friend and I'll spend some more quality time with these bugs!!" His voice was giddy from bloodthirsty glee.  
  
Iris turned away from the elevator. Silvermoon boosted out of sight.  
  
"Iris! Don't be-"  
  
"Let 'er go, Val. She'll be fine once she gets to Rose." BB was strangely calm while fending off the ridiculously outnumbering metallic arachnids. The elevator activated and rose to the ceiling in the sky.  
  
"You going to be ok, BB?" Royal Mist was worried as the horde was in clear view from his current altitude.  
  
"Quit talkin' an' worry 'bout yerselves, Mist!" BB laughed. 


	19. Anima

Black Feather: Episode XIX  
  
"Anima"  
  
Layered District 2  
  
1:20 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
"Where is everyone!?" Rose was oblivious as she rushed back and forth around the base. "Hello!? Anybody there!? Somebody!? ANYBODY!?!?"  
  
She heard a hissing noise. Instinctively, she spun around. Nothing there. "I-is somebody there...?" She crept cautiously up to the corridor. It led outside. Rose leaned her head against the door sideways, allowing her to hear what's on the other side.  
  
"Breathing...?" Rose unlocked the door. It slid open and...  
  
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Rose fell on her back as a large, grotesque cluster of slimy, blinking eyes gazed through the corridor. When Rose dared to look back, it was gone.  
  
The ceiling crumbled and a thick spike dived for Rose. It landed just an inch above her left shoulder, tearing a small piece of cloth from her uniform and poking a hole in the marble floor panel. She whimpered and got back on her feet that instant. Stumbling, Rose dashed for her kneeling AC, Chaotic Ruby, just outside the parking lot.  
  
The heavy door slammed open and Rose made a sprint for her AC, but was too slow. The creature loomed 65 meters away. Sensing its prey, it hastily trudged in for its meal.  
  
"GGGHHHHHAAAKKKKHHHHHHHH~~~~~~!!!!!!" A metallic tumult echoed in the air. The creature was pinned down to the pavement. Some of its eyes bursted and others popped out of their sockets. An acidic ooze dripped and melted the asphalt, a foul stench of burning pavement offended Rose's senses.  
  
"Rose! You're not hurt are you!?" Silvermoon stood triumphantly on the helpless creature.  
  
"Iris! What's happened here!?!?"  
  
"No time to explain!! Just get in your AC and follow me!!" Rose nodded and scuttled toward, up, and into Chaotic Ruby. Fully active, it stood up on its two feet.  
  
"Hurry up or the elevator'll be destroyed!!" Iris gained a head start. Puzzled, Rose followed closely behind.  
  
"Are you going to tell me what's happening!?" Rose was frustrated at being left out so long.  
  
"You saw that... 'thing' didn't you?"  
  
"Well, DUH! It almost killed me!!"  
  
"Just multiply 'that' by 86,000 times and imagine them overrunning Layered!"  
  
"Oh my GAWD!!"  
  
They continued on their way until...  
  
"AH! Iris! Help!!" Iris stopped and turned around. Five of the creatures were strangling Rose.  
  
"ROSE!!" Another horde poured out from the far mountains behind Rose. Their speed surpassed that of the previous horde. One of the creatures holding down Rose fired its mouth cannon. It burned off Chaotic Ruby's left arm.  
  
"Iris! Behind you!!"  
  
It was too late. Another gang of creatures grabbed Silvermoon like a ragdoll.  
  
Rose was being crushed.  
  
"Iris... help...!"  
  
Iris' HUD lost reception. A sharp pain slashed inside her head. She released the controls and held her head. The pain was unbearable.  
  
"Aaaahhhhh...!!" All was silent now. Peaceful...  
  
Silvermoon's back weapons turned white hot. As bright as the sun, the creatures recoiled. The back weapons melted into four wings. The extensions disappeared.  
  
Silvermoon floated slowly and effortlessly into the air, its armor shimmering in lunar luminescence. Its pure, white wings flexed and emanated a moonlight cerulean aura. A million tempests of narrow, twisting beams of blue leapt from the wings, illuminated the sky, then descending upon the ungodly hordes and disintegrating them.  
  
All of District 2 gleamed like a high-noon ocean. An endless blue...  
  
  
  
  
  
The light subsided. Silvermoon, back to its original form, knelt on the ground. Chaotic Ruby was unharmed, leaning against one of the buildings. They found themselves near the partially damaged elevator. BB, inside the elevator, was heavily damaged. Smoke steamed from the AC's armor while it leaned against the elevator wall.  
  
Iris recovered and looked around.  
  
The entire district was in ruins. Clouds of dust obscured the sun.  
  
"R... Rose...?"  
  
"I'm here..."  
  
Iris was too dazed, but decided not to talk about what had happened. The others were waiting on the surface.  
  
"Let's go..."  
  
Silvermoon stood up and Chaotic Ruby in its ready stance.  
  
"BB...?" Iris' voice trembled a little.  
  
"Y... yeah... I'm *groan* fine.." Pain shook his words.  
  
The surface waited. 


	20. Deliverance

Black Feather: Episode XX  
  
"Deliverance"  
  
Sphere Detainment Facility  
  
11:24 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
Light invaded Qastor's eyes.  
  
"Wake up you!" The prison guard pointed his flashlight at Qastor's face.  
  
He found himself in the corner of a damp, rusty cell. The barred door was pushed to the side; tiny flecks of rust and old paint jumped from the impact.  
  
"Get up! It's time for your questioning!" The guard audaciously traipsed in and grabbed Qastor by his hair.  
  
"Urrrghh... Let go of me, puke face..." The guard's eyes narrowed. He swung Qastor against the wall.  
  
"I really wish I could kill you right now, but orders are orders..." The guard snickered, forced Qastor up to his feet, and led him around the maze of halls.  
  
Qastor found himself strapped onto a wall. A bright lamp was pointed towards his face. He squinted.  
  
A tall man in a heavy trenchcoat walked in. Another man in uniform was manning a mechanism nearby. Three other guards stood in the darkness.  
  
"Look alive, prisoner! It's time for you to start answering questions." The man in cloak had his back to Qastor.  
  
"...arrggh... Where... am I...?" Qastor hadn't eaten in a day.  
  
"Shut up! I'm the one asking stupid questions here!" The cloaked man gave a puzzled look. The other guards quietly chuckled.  
  
"Alright, you! Answer me this: Where is 'he?'"  
  
"..."  
  
"Well!?"  
  
"...wha...?"  
  
The cloaked man motioned to the man at the mechanism. The man pulled down a lever. Electricity surged throughout Qastor's body.  
  
"AAAAAHHHHGGGGGKKKKK!!!!" Qastor gasped for breath when the shock was over.  
  
"I said, Where is 'he!?'" The cloaked man struck his foot on the floor.  
  
"...I... don't know... what you're talking... about... *cough*"  
  
"If we don't find 'him' soon, then he'll get to 'it' before we do, and you know how important 'it' is to Sphere... " The guards silently chatted in the shadows.  
  
The man in cloak turned around. His death-pale face shined in the light. A glare stuck to his bald head. He grabbed Qastor's collar and brought it close to his visage.  
  
"Where... Is... He..." The man in cloak spoke in a threatening low tone. Qastor replied.  
  
The man withdrew, wiping Qastor's spit from his cheek. Qastor gave a slight grin. The man motioned.  
  
Electricity cackled.  
  
"WHERE IS 'HE!?'"  
  
"Right here." The door swung open. The electricity stopped.  
  
The man in cloak gasped and disappeared.  
  
____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor woke up flat on the ground. The guards lay dead near in a puddle of blood and gore. His eyes turned to the door. Instead, he found 'him' standing in front of him, looking down. 'He' squatted down and whispered, "I need you alive." 'He' stood back up and walked out the door.  
  
"Rey... Vyn...! I'm not done with you... yet..." Qastor reached out his hand. His vision blurred and his hand coiled. He was then knocked out cold. 


	21. A Welcome With Open Arms

Black Feather: Episode XXI  
  
"A Welcome With Open Arms"  
  
Nephilon City Main Elevator Terminal  
  
1:43 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
District 2 disappeared under the atmospheric mist. The sky seems so close now.  
  
The sun disappeared and darkness laughed around Iris. The sky below them and the surface above them... That thought boggled BB's mind a little, since he spent most of his life down there. Heavy steel beams supported and enormous complicated electronic mechanisms infested the darkness. They all hummed in mechanical harmony.  
  
Iris noticed something on the upper screen.  
  
"Logic Drive Condenser Engine offline. Activity at 0.03%. Neutrino flow at fixed rate."  
  
Iris blinked. She never ordered a "Logic Drive Engine" before, let alone ever knew about it until those words flashed on the screen.  
  
They traveled up a kilometer and a half up. The platform stopped, and corridor hatches opened, revealing the grid-form streets of Nephilon. The fresh surface air mixed with the old underground oxygen. The main elevator terminal was a large tower-like swell from the ground. Substream elevator terminals surrounded the main terminal.  
  
Rose scanned the area.  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Maybe ya took too long..." Rose didn't reply.  
  
Nephilon City was devoid of life. Except...  
  
"Freeze!" Twenty heavily armed MTs surrounded the trio. Some stood atop the buildings. Eight MTs were in the front, while seven flanked from behind. Nine helicopters hung in the air, their artillery poised. "Deactivate your weapons! Make a wrong move and you'll regret it!"  
  
"Damn..." BB released his controls as a pang of relinquishment surged through his head. He never felt so helpless in his life. He slammed his seat.  
  
A large transport vehicle appeared out of the blue. The front MTs dispersed and lined up against the buildings, four on each side, making space for the transport. The vehicle stopped. Its thick hatch was thrown down, causing the earth to tremor.  
  
"Get in!" Guns and cannons were pointed to the group while they trudged their way in. Knots of nervousness twisted in Rose's stomach. An indescribable fear made Iris' head droop. She stared at the glowing lower monitor.  
  
Her eyes and the transport hatch closed in synchronization. 


	22. Omnis

Black Feather: Episode XXII  
  
"Omnis"  
  
Sphere Detainment Facility  
  
11:52 p.m., 03/10  
  
  
  
"Painted skies...  
  
Deep in your eyes...  
  
From His pyre of lies...  
  
A new raven shall arise..."  
  
"Iris! Get up! Something's happening." Iris sat up from the icy bed. Rose stood at the cell bars listening.  
  
"Rose...? Wha-"  
  
"Shh! ..." There was a moment of stillness. Iris began to hear what Rose heard. It was...  
  
"Artillery fire...?" Iris whispered as she got up.  
  
"I think it is... Whatever's happening out there, it's intense."  
  
"Ya hears it, too?" BB was in the cell across from Iris'. He sat in the shadowy corner hunched over, his face buried in his hands. Faint voices in the background caused BB to abruptly stand up.  
  
"What's wrong?" Rose noticed his sudden action. BB placed his left index finger to his closed lips, signaling silence. The voices mumbled again.  
  
"...Intruder! Get her...!..." Footsteps grew bolder as they neared. A gunshot exploded in the air.  
  
"...Aaahhh!! ..." One of the guards screamed.  
  
"...rie! Get them...nd hurry up!!" A male voice was muffled in the distance.  
  
More gunshots blasted. It lasted for a minute.  
  
"Rose! BB!? Iris!!" A female voice reverberated through the bleak prison hall.  
  
"It's..." BB was mellow.  
  
"Kyrie!?" Iris stood up against the bars and called out. Rose joined in. "KYRIE!? KYRIE!! WE'RE IN HERE!!"  
  
Kyrie arrived with an air of urgency. A multitude of keys hung about a tarnished metal ring, clamoring in her hand as she ran.  
  
"Stay still... I have to open this..." Kyrie was out of breath as she scrambled through the keys, trying every one that looked like it'd work.  
  
"There she is!!" More guards came their way. They readied and pointed their pistols. "Fire!!"  
  
"No!" Kyrie dropped the keys. A disruptive bang vibrated the prison bars. The guards became corpses on the floor, their faces drowning in their own blood. A man brandishing two heavy assault pistols appeared behind the guards.  
  
"Mist... Yer finally here." BB nodded, unshaken all this time.  
  
"BB." Royal Mist tersely greeted. He turned to Kyrie. "Val, use the square key."  
  
"You cover me..." Kyrie juggled the keys looking for the specified ones.  
  
"Hey, c'mon Mist. How 'bout it? For ol' times sake." BB pointed at the lock. Royal Mist casually shot the lock, unlatching as sparks flew. He handed BB a shotgun.  
  
"There... Come on! Let's go!!" Kyrie threw open the bars and followed Royal Mist. BB ran alongside him. Iris and Rose were close behind. They rushed through the dismal prison cells, the icy air stinging their faces. Up the stairs, kick the door open, shoot the station guard nearby, through the exit-signed door, retreat into a gap in the side wall with the rope ladder, climb up, retrieve the ladder, kill some more fool guards...  
  
They reached the courtyard, where nine more patrolmen waited. They all jumped from the shadows, but a jarring explosion brought them to their backs. Our group braced themselves, took advantage of the situation, and ran for it. A heavy MT overhead fell back as a doomed helicopter collided with it. The MT's massive body crushed the guards of the courtyard.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor awakened inside Xanthippius. Everything was active and ready.  
  
"How in hell..." Qastor stopped when 'he' caught his eye. Rey Vyn was standing atop a frail tower's needle-antenna, perfectly balanced. Qastor looked down and saw Iris. She saw him also and stopped. Eyes fixed on Qastor's, she hollered something, but it was inaudible. He was surprised when he saw Valkyrie, one of the top-ranking Ravens, turned and pulled Iris' hand as if to keep on running. Iris did so, still looking back at Xanthippius.  
  
"Iris...!" Xanthippius stepped forward, but something prevented him from advancing.  
  
"Not so fast, Young Qastor!!" He turned back to Rey Vyn. A crimson aura surrounded his body as a grenade shell sailed through him. "First, I must test a hypothesis of mine! To see if you are really one of 'us'!!!" Rey Vyn's voice was clear and bold, unlike Iris'. His powerful arms reached out to the midnight sky. Strangely enough, Mars was directly above him, faintly glowing an alien velvet. Xanthippius' pale blue armor gleamed.  
  
"GGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Qastor's hands wrapped around his throbbing cranium.  
  
"AAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Every sound muted. Rey Vyn's mouth stretched to a wide, malignant grin.  
  
Xanthippius stood in the sky, its shining armor could light a city. Its back weapons were replaced by two, long, massive cannons that stretched nearly to the heels. Two black and blue plasma blades shrieked from its arms. Four enormous, independent, linear orbit cannons floated near the back.  
  
A brave helicopter fired a shell. Qastor swiped the blade with malicious speed, vaporizing the shell.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! BEHOLD!! NOVA OMNIS!!" Rey Vyn's announcement shook the dark heavens.  
  
Logic Drive Condenser Engine Online. Neutrino concentration complete. Disrupting neutrino flow. Everything froze except for Qastor. A dark aura swirled about him.  
  
An invisible mist leapt from the boosters. Nova Omnis zipped around the sky, brandishing his twin blades berserk. He appeared an instant later on the other side of the perimeter. Violent explosions roared all at once as time resumed. A surviving MT lumbered from afar. Nova Omnis' four linear orbit cannons and twin shoulder devastators positioned, their barrels gazing at their target.  
  
A blinding flash accompanied by a catastrophic shockwave screamed from the cannons. A gargantuan pillar of plasma born from the six barrels incinerated all in its path. The plasma pillar landed three miles away and left a smoldering crater in its place.  
  
  
  
Qastor regained his senses. The cockpit was scorching. Xanthippius' armor whispered a slight dull red from the heat as it knelt. Qastor looked at the HUD. The blast left a deep chasm in the earth. The surrounding structures were literally melting, dripping with radioactive metal. Multiple stenches of molten alloy and plastic graced the midnight expanse. Qastor sensed a large object descend upon him. It was Rey Vyn. His AC looked completely different. It was both shadowy and vibrant blood crimson, its torso gently heaved in and out as if it were breathing. Qastor was too exhausted to make out its features, but compared it to a devil. He knew he was in trouble.  
  
"HAHAHA... SUCH POWER... BUT IS IT ENOUGH TO FACE MY ARK OMNIS?" It sounded as if Rey Vyn's AC itself was speaking...  
  
With that, Ark Omnis pounded Xanthippius with its bare, metal fists. Wincing, the stars turned away as a symphony of clashing metal thrashed throughout the midnight landscape.  
  
Qastor lost consciousness from the barrage of impacts. 


	23. Horizon of Refuge

Black Feather: Episode XXIII  
  
"Horizon of Refuge"  
  
Haven Road of Wyndon City  
  
5:41 a.m., 03/11  
  
  
  
A palette of early morning hues painted the sky. Rays of a new dawn stretched from the violet mountains as the sun peeked from the edges.  
  
Iris had been awake for half an hour, waiting for the sun to rise. But, she knew somewhere in her heart that she was really waiting for Qastor. Iris sat by herself in the back of the transport. "At least I get some time to think to myself..." Iris thought. The others were asleep. How Valkyrie, Royal Mist, and the others managed to break Rose, BB, and herself out still bothered her, but she was happy she was out. "I should be happy, right.?" Little did Iris know that the prisoner cell next to hers and Rose's was Qastor's. Her eyes were fixed on the purple sky. The swirl of hues welcomed her mind to wander...  
  
After Qastor had saved Iris at the crater, she was left in the infirmary until the next day. Qastor had been by her side since carrying her to the doctor all by himself. In the next morning, she found him asleep on a chair next to her. Doctor Taylor came in, but left as soon as Iris informed him that she wanted some time to talk to Qastor. Iris looked at Qastor for another hour until he woke up to her eyes.  
  
Iris told Qastor everything that had happened. The one thing that disturbed Qastor the most was what made the mission so irresistible to Iris. Sphere threatened to assassinate Malirant if she refused to accept the contract.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
In truth, Sphere needed to get rid of Rey Vyn as soon as humanly (or inhumanly, if one should consider the conditions) possible, and in the quickest and most silent way. One that wouldn't leave even the tiniest of evidence. If one molecule of Rey Vyn's blood was unaccounted for, even that could get Sphere into trouble. At that time, Rey Vyn occupied the crater, blocking Sphere's efforts to extract ancient information from it. Sphere was searching for something and the way they were going about their ways, they didn't want any of the other corporations to know of their intentions. Mirage's strength increased significantly despite the fall of The Controller. Crest, a former advocate of The Controller, suffered irreparable scars. It is during this time that internal disputes and conflicts are erupting. This eventually led to the separation of the corporation. Union suffered similarly, despite their victory over The Controller.  
  
Gaidoz noticed the irregularity in Sphere's actions and decided to investigate. In the process however, his efforts were thwarted by Sphere in the form of the gang "Darkness." Sphere had hired the gang to capture his AC. Things seemed to be safe until the gang rebelled. With the help of Gaidoz's AC, they launched a successful skirmish on one of Sphere's outposts. Sphere called on the services of Qastor, but as soon as they noticed his ring (Rey Vyn's ring), they launched their own forces, attempting to capture and question him. It proved unsuccessful with Iris' intervention, and Rey Vyn was still alive and bouncing. So, they tried another way. They pulled Malirant into their scheme, eradicating their own dummy troops and Malirant. They knew if Malirant was given the mission of eliminating Rey Vyn that he still had the option of aborting the mission. In order to terminate this factor, they almost killed him and offered Iris the mission with Malirant's life on the line. However, the mission failed. Qastor and Iris survived along with Rey Vyn. Vulture had his own suspicions and followed Qastor, eventually stalling Rey Vyn in time for their escape. Sphere resorted to extreme measures and bombed the crater, knowing that some or most of the information will be lost. Qastor and Iris posed a threat, as they might divulge Sphere's intentions. Taking a large risk, they launched a full-scale assault on the main surface Global Cortex base, with Qastor and Iris' deaths in mind. They failed, but caught Qastor instead. Using this to their advantage, Sphere decided to extract from him answers of Rey Vyn's now-unknown whereabouts. Their efforts were once again thwarted. This time by Rey Vyn himself, among many other non- interwoven factors. _____________________________  
  
They arrived at the Wyndon City gates. A towering, half-oval arch greeted them. Rose woke up just in time to witness the moment.  
  
Wyndon City's Global Cortex shined in the sunrise. The group was now fully awake and stood outside the transport.  
  
"Global Cortex? Why are we here?" Iris was first to speak.  
  
"We'll take refuge here until things turn back to normal." Kyrie was still sleepy and yawned when her sentence ended.  
  
"Until then, we do what?" Rose was lost in the peacefulness of the structure. It felt like forever since she could just sleep in a soft bed without worry or fear.  
  
"That's what we're working on. Virgil, Legionnaire, and Kyrie have already decided to stay here. I guess I'll follow suit." Royal Mist sounded flat. He was still unsure of his future.  
  
"What about BB here?" Rose turned to BB, who was leaning against the transport nursing his wrapped up wounds. He heard his name and waved reassuredly.  
  
"He'll be fine by himself, I'm sure. You all go on inside. I'll load the ACs into the hangar." Royal Mist headed down to the hangar.  
  
"I'll..." Iris' voice was pale against the new breeze.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I think I'll go look for Qastor once everything settles down." Her voice was stronger and more determined.  
  
"Ya sure 'bout that?" BB finally spoke. He turned back to his wounds when Iris nodded.  
  
Kyrie strolled towards the base entrance. Rose followed, looking back at BB. After poking a cut on his right wrist for a moment, he decided to head in.  
  
Iris gazed into the horizon. Smoke from the detainment facility was still visible from three hundred kilometers away.  
  
"Somehow, I'll find him. And when I do, I..." Iris stopped. She was unsure what would happen once it's all over.  
  
Iris closed her eyes and held her necklace. 


	24. Run!

Black Feather: Episode XXIV  
  
"Run!"  
  
???  
  
???  
  
  
  
Water... All around me... Why wasn't I drowning? A blue light... Maybe... If I follow it...?  
  
Aaarrgh... What the...!? Brother...? He looks the same as always. He has a normal build and very short hair, as if it was shaved and now growing back. He was in his pilot suit, the same one he wore when he left for Mirage. This is a dream... I know it is...  
  
"Why...?" He finally spoke. It wasn't exactly the best way to greet a little brother he hasn't seen in nearly twenty years.  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I tried pushing air out to force a word, but nothing... I looked up at my brother again. His face had been blank the entire time.  
  
"Why did you kill me?" His words shocked me. "Why!? WHY DID YOU KILL ME!?" His voice had never been so violent. My brother never really punished me. He always told me that whenever I got in trouble, that means that I've done something bad. He was a wise man, especially for his age. "I was finally able to do something with me life!! I was becoming someone!! I had a chance to make a difference, but you killed me right on the spot!!! MY OWN LITTLE BROTHER!!!!" His face was now wrinkled with anger. He turned and walked away. I ran after him.  
  
I tried to call out to him, to tell him to come back. I forced my lungs hard, but ended up coughing harshly. I felt like I was choking. Maybe all this water has finally taken effect. I grabbed my neck. My vision blurred and I collapsed.  
  
All of a sudden, I felt like I was growing. I was now much taller than my brother. I soon found myself looking down on him as he ran. His head swiveled and caught sight of my monstrous self.  
  
"YOU!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?!?" My brother's pace turned into a sprint. I was now trudging towards him. I caught up and he looked back in terror. My feet raised up to crush him, despite my trying to withdraw.  
  
"NO!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" A large shadow painted his body. "AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG...!!!!"  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
I lurched forward, but something stopped me. I opened my eyes. There was some kind of glass. I groped around and realized that there was glass all around me. Water hindered my arm's movement. My old clothes are on, flowing in the strange liquid. It was pitch black. There were a few dim lights, but still pitch black. Wanting to get out of the "tube," I clenched my right fist and drove it into the glass. The liquid poured out as I kicked the lower portions of the glass. I leapt out, and to my surprise, I wasn't a bit wet. My clothes were dry and my hair was as messy as always. An alarm sounded, much to my ears discomfort. A light poured from a corner.  
  
"He's escaped!! It's Malirant!!"  
  
"Capture him at all costs!!"  
  
There was some equipment lying around and a desk near the door. I scurried over to the desk and hunched over, hoping they didn't hear my footsteps.  
  
"What was that!?" Rats. A guard pointed his flashlight in my direction. He barely missed my toes when I took cover. The guard walked straight ahead. Taking advantage of the situation, I jumped out and hooked his neck with my bulky right arm. I grabbed a narrow, sharp piece of glass and pointed it to his neck.  
  
"AAAGGGGHHH!!! H-H-HELP!!!" I shook his head to silence him. The other guards flashed their light at me. I walked backwards to the door, silently threatening to kill him. They cocked their guns. I heard footsteps behind me and realized I was surrounded. I turned my back to the wall of the hallway. The other guards saw the situation and held their fire. I inched my way to the end of the hall. The guards made way, still pointing their peashooters. There was a knob on the door. That didn't help, since I had two arms occupied. My wits returned. I hoisted the hostage up in the air and launched him at his fellow guards. They fired, but thrashed the airborne hostage instead. Blood spat out from his back and some got on my shoes as I pushed the door open. The bullet-clad body collided with the guards. I was already out and running when this happened.  
  
It was black night, but some lights offered guidance. Some other guards' lights searched from around the corner. I was surrounded again, as two buildings covered my left and right with locked doors. A gate leading to freedom was a hundred meters ahead of me. Frantically, I sought refuge. I noticed a grid drain in the ground. I scuttled over, lifted the metal grid, and jumped in. I landed in water and placed the grid over me again, since the space around me was just my height. I pressed my back against a damp wall in the darkness and looked up. A stream of unknown liquid stirred in front of my toes.  
  
Not being very bright, the guards assembled above me, trying to figure out where I disappeared.  
  
"Where did he go?"  
  
"Don't ask me!!"  
  
"What about you, skipper?"  
  
"I thought he was running that way..." They continued to incessantly chat. One of the guards glanced down at the gutter. His eyes clashed with mine. Adrenaline pumped to my heart. It's all over if they find me here. But, he looked back among his comrades.  
  
"What? You see something?"  
  
"Nothing." The guard that caught sight of me had a rough, evil voice. His hair was grayish-white and his eyes were deadly with white. The guards dispersed. I made my way through the sewer-like tunnel. The water that flowed under me was blood. The metallic smell of it was heavy and unbearable. I reached the end and pushed the grid up above me. I climbed out, placed the grid back in its place, and strolled out into the chanting wilderness. My head felt heavy and a voice echoed.  
  
"I let you get away this time, 'brother'... But... I won't next time..."  
  
My head was normal again. 


	25. Two Skies

Black Feather: Episode XXV  
  
"Two Skies"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Eastern Cafeteria GCWC-ES/CF-01  
  
8:13 a.m., 03/18  
  
  
  
The week wandered by. The group had to keep low until things 'settled' down.  
  
"...The bombing of Nephilon City's Global Cortex, recently set in motion by Sphere last week, has the suspicious corporation heavy with scrutiny, both from opposing corporations and Ravens. On a recent financial conference, Kenneth Gregson, Sphere's military representative, claimed that Sphere has their reasons and does not intend to divulge it to the public. Their activities have certainly been quiet during the past year..."  
  
Iris spooned and stirred her mashed potatoes repetitively, staring blankly into space. She'd been hearing the same news over and over for the past week. Her behavior somewhat annoyed Royal Mist, as he already finished his breakfast and was paying attention to the news monitor. The cafeteria dome shutters were closed that morning, since it was raining. He turned to Iris.  
  
"Something on your mind?" Iris didn't answer, as if she was deaf. "Iris?" Royal Mist's word was bolder this time. Iris looked up, startled.  
  
"Oh... uh, yeah?"  
  
"You worried about something?" He never liked repeating his words.  
  
"I am... about him..."  
  
"Him? You mean your friend? What's it about him that got you so worried?"  
  
"He's got no one and nowhere to turn to. And Sphere'll be after him too. I want to go out there and find him, but he could be anywhere. I-"  
  
"Whoa, slow down there, young lady. He's a Raven, isn't he? I'm sure he'll be able to take care of himself."  
  
"But, how? I don't think he's eaten in a while, and if he tries to get to the nearest city, he'll be starved to death..."  
  
"I wouldn't worry much about him." He nodded. "I'm sure he's in good hands." Royal Mist sounded like he knew something. Iris suspected of this, but asked instead...  
  
"I almost forgot. You didn't tell me how you got us out of the prison."  
  
"Yeah, that. Well, after we got up to the surface, we found Nephilon City in chaos, and because of that, we took cover in the shadows. Kyrie, Legionnaire, Virgil, and I didn't know what was coming until the city was completely empty. Then, those Sphere MTs came and we saw you, Rose, and BB get into a detainment transport. We didn't know what to do until..." He paused.  
  
"...Until...?"  
  
"They came."  
  
"They?"  
  
"'They' were an active anti-Sphere rebel force, 'Laevaentteinn'. We took refuge in their base for the time being. I sent Virgil here with the survivors to save time. Looks like they made it okay. Anyway, we needed to get you out, so their leader, Lucifer, offered to help. They were planning on attacking the detainment facility anyway, so I guess it was two birds with one stone..." Royal Mist laughed. "We left before the rebels did, since they had to clean up the remaining forces. Lucifer gave us a large-scale transport, since we were able to capture the hangar first. Your friend in that AC must've cleaned up the Sphere lackies for them, I think."  
  
"There's also something else."  
  
"Yeah? Then shoot."  
  
"I have this... 'power.' I-it happened when those spiders got us." Iris staggered when she recalled such an event.  
  
"Ah, that. BB told me something about it. Said your AC went berserk and destroyed all of District 2!" Royal Mist exclaimed the last part of his sentence, but Iris only looked more worried. "Something else bothering you?"  
  
"Yeah... What if I find Qastor and... My AC goes off again?" Iris was gloomy when she spoke this. Royal Mist was silent for a moment.  
  
"If it comes, it comes. That's all I can say." Royal Mist got up, grabbed his coat, and patted Iris on her shoulder as he walked past. Gears and mechanisms in the dome activated, leaving only the dome glass panels and the support linings. Silver skies loomed and raindrops gently but numerously pelted the dome. The gray clouds clogged the atmosphere.  
  
Iris smiled at last. Talking to someone about her worries cleared up her anxiety.  
  
________________________  
  
  
  
Virgil emerged from the eastern conference room. Rose came out with him.  
  
"Why so down? C'mon, cheer up! It's for 150,000c! You struck it big time!!" Virgil had enlisted her help immediately after the conference with Paige Anmus, a Mirage representative. Paige was still inside sorting papers and chatting with her assistant.  
  
"Yeah, but I got a bad feeling about this. I mean, 150,000c? There's a reason why they offer that much, ya know?" Virgil's eyes were fixed on the ominous numbers freshly printed on the paper copy.  
  
"You'll be fine~... with me around, right?" Rose's eyes glittered in the hall lights. Virgil rolled his and shook his head slightly. She slapped him on the back.  
  
"Ow... I gotta bruise there!!" Virgil awkwardly groped for it.  
  
"From what?"  
  
"A-"  
  
"Are you ready, Mr. Virgil?" Paige had a light suitcase in her right hand and a binder in her left. Her matte hair was tied back; two bang strands hung on each side of her bespectacled face. She wore a female business suit with a tie. Virgil thought it strange for her to wear a one.  
  
"Virgil!! Watch where your eyes are!!" Rose elbowed him when she noticed him checking her out.  
  
"Hey, just 'cuz I have ba-" Virgil's whispered sentence ended with.  
  
"Mr. Virgil?" Paige blinked.  
  
Virgil almost blushed from the way she said "Mr." and followed it up with his name.  
  
"Ah, yes. Uh, R-Rose, how much is left in my rest of funds..." Virgil's voice wandered, still glued to Paige. Rose glared at him.  
  
"What!? You dimwit! Just look at the paper!" Rose had her arms akimbo, but soon held the paper copy when Virgil handed it to her. She sighed.  
  
"23,000c..." Rose was annoyingly blank.  
  
"Hamm... That's a lot. I think I'll ah... call me friend... Yes... Me friend... Oh, uh, Rose! Call Iris for me..." Virgil forced his cell phone out of his jacket. Rose didn't respond. "Please?" Exasperated, Rose snatched and dialed up Iris' number. Paige turned to her assistant and whispered quietly while Virgil's eyes were lost on her... ahem...  
  
"Yeah, Iris? Rose here. Anyway, Virgil needs your services. He's got this BIG mission with this BIG reward! So, are you in or not? You will? That's great! I'll go tell Virgil!" Rose found him on his knees begging Paige for a date.  
  
"Vir~gil!!" 


	26. The Farside of Earth

Black Feather: Episode XXVI  
  
"The Far-side of Earth"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base Transport Runway GCWC-SB-N/TRN03  
  
7:21 a.m., 03/18  
  
  
  
Everything seemed like a dream. Things changed so suddenly, I convinced myself that I really must have been dreaming. And in fact, I was. But, it felt as if I was reliving this event in my memories. I never realized how close to the truth I was until the end of the mission.  
  
Virgil's face adhered to the viewing glass. Paige waved farewell as the transport took off into the horizon. Virgil longingly waved back. The way he was acting around Paige annoyed me, although I didn't really know why.  
  
I glanced at the mission summary on the on-board monitor, just to make sure everything was in place.  
  
Mission: Explore Unknown Region  
  
Operation Name: Geo-Alpha  
  
Client: Mirage  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 150,000c  
  
Requesting Figure: Paige Anmus  
  
Opponent: Unknown  
  
Time: 8:40 a.m.  
  
Time Limit Upon Arrival: Three hours  
  
Theatre of Operations: Uncharted Region LR-UR/74  
  
Briefing:  
  
"Over the past five years, much of the exploration efforts were forcefully left in the hands of Sphere. Because of this, much of the resources were claimed by Sphere before any other corporations even heard. However, we noticed a large uncharted region in the far west hemisphere. Sphere's current erratic behavior has put a halt to exploration. We would like to take advantage of this situation and explore the uncharted region before Sphere has any chance to, and claim any resources it might hold. Your mission is to explore as much of the area as possible in the set time limit. Staying too long in the area will arouse suspicion from our competitors. Good luck."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Iris was looking around the passenger cabin. Virgil was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Rose? Where's Virgil?" Iris casually inquired.  
  
"Oh, that nitwit? He's in the lavatory. Either he's airsick or crying for that Mirage representative. He sure has it bad for her..." I turned my attention back to an interesting magazine article. "You should stay put. It'll be hours before we get there." I looked back at Iris again and found her leaning back in her seat, ready for a nap, since we had to get ready at 6:00 a.m.  
  
I finally had some peace and quiet. The only sound was the soothing whisper of the transport and the scarce air whispering on the wings. After finishing the magazine article, I looked out the window. Cotton-thread clouds bathed in the abundant sunrays. Endless seas blanketed the view beneath; feathers of sunlight dangled on the ocean surface. The magnanimous view beckoned me into slumber. Sleep was something I needed to catch up on, so I did so instantly.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Sayuri, are you sure about this?"  
  
"Iris is my best friend! Of course I'm going... That's a no-brainer, right?"  
  
"You can't be too careful about these kinds of decisions. Admit it, aren't you a bit scared?"  
  
"I'll be fine! Don't be so worried, Yuka-chan! I'm grown up now..."  
  
"I know... Now, you get some sleep, alright? I'll wake you up in the morning so you don't miss your plane."  
  
"Arigatou."  
  
"Doomo. Oyasuminasai."  
  
"Oyasuminasai..."  
  
The door closed behind a person named, 'Yuka'...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Now, you be careful, okay?"  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"And if you need any help or assistance, don't forget old Yuka, okay?"  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"And... Take this watch."  
  
"For me?"  
  
"Yes... It'll be a keepsake. And, it brings good luck. It did for me, so it should do just as well for you."  
  
"Doomo arigatou!"  
  
"Doozo... Ima... nan-ji desu ka?"  
  
"Ichiju-ji... hachi-fun."  
  
"That's right... Take good care of it and yourself."  
  
"I will..."  
  
"Sayuri-"  
  
Flight 542 to District 2 Elevator Terminal is waiting for all passengers. All respective passengers, please board Flight 542 from Terminal 08.  
  
"Shitsurei shimasu! Sayonara!"  
  
"Sayonara!!"  
  
Oh, Yuka-chan, did I really forget you? You've disappeared from my reality, but you still thrive within my dreams... _____________________________  
  
"Shi... tsurei... shimasu...... sa... yona...... ra........."  
  
The sun was rising when I fell asleep, and began to set when I awoke. Virgil shook my shoulder. Iris was already awake and gazed thoughtfully through the window.  
  
"You were talkin' in your sleep?"  
  
"Huh...? No... No, I wasn't... Was I?" I rubbed my eyes.  
  
"Yeah, you were! In that strange language, too."  
  
"Can you repeat it for me?"  
  
"No can do. I didn't understand one word you said. But, uh... 'sayonara'? I think I heard that somewhere before."  
  
"You know, let's just drop it for now. We've got a mission..."  
  
"You're right. We're almost there. Get ready and we'll be off in a minute." Virgil was now back to his normal seriousness. I wrapped my left wrist with my watch. It was silver and narrow, with platinum linings and a rose in the center of the tiny clock. It was 5:11 p.m.  
  
"Go-ji juu-ichi-fun..." My voice wandered...  
  
"Did you say something?" Virgil turned to me again, with a puzzled expression.  
  
"Oh... huh? Did I say something?"  
  
"...Nevermind. Just get ready."  
  
"I know."  
  
Iris unbuckled her seat belt and led us to the hangar, where our ACs were waiting.  
  
A look at Iris' Silvermoon reminded me of the incident at District 2...  
  
"Iris here. Landing is imminent. I'm heading out first." Silvermoon leapt out of the transport. Virgil and I followed.  
  
Dry winds lumbered through the desolate land. The terrain was lifeless and the arid ground cracked under our feet.  
  
"Alright, Virgil here. Everyone, turn on your recorders. Mirage needs the visual data." I listened, pressing a combination of on-screen buttons.  
  
There were abandoned cities and stations scattered about. From the looks of the everything, whoever built it must have technology similar to our own. Virgil mapped the area with his fat MHD-MX/RACHIS. As we made our way into the region, Iris called to our attention. In front of her was a mechanical unit.  
  
"An AC..." Iris sounded like she was out of breath, but intercoms tend play around with voices.  
  
"No way... Look at its parts! I never dreamed of seeing an AC like this one." Virgil spoke in disbelief. The AC's armor was charred and partially molten. Its right arm was absent, but its left arm caught my attention. There was an emblem. A corporate emblem, in my opinion. The letters were barely legible.  
  
"...Z... Zio... Zio Matrix? What a weird name..." Everything was so new and fascinating. I couldn't wait for what was next. We proceeded into the territory, finding relics of a lost civilization. Their technology was strikingly similar to our own.  
  
"Hey, look." Virgil's AC, Requiem, pointed to the depressed sky far ahead of us. There stood a ponderous structure. It was like a segmented snake rising all the way up into space. And in truth, I was closer to the truth than I thought. Scarce platforms stuck out from the body. Iris found large letters on one of the distant segments and sent it to us to see. "Rapture." This place was full of funny names. But, what happened next wasn't.  
  
Virgil picked up something in the sky. I looked up at the visible extremity of the so-called "Rapture" and couldn't believe my eyes. Objects were falling from the top. My radar suggested the objects were massive.  
  
"Under us!!" Yellow dots on Virgil's modified radar popped up all over the place. Movement was sensed in the ground. Suddenly, creatures shot out of the ground and those objects in the sky added to the surprise when they landed. All of them resembled the creatures from District 2. I screamed in horror.  
  
"This... will be interesting..." Virgil switched to combat mode. Iris and I followed suit. 


	27. Virgil's Poem

Black Feather: Episode XXVII  
  
"Virgil's Poem"  
  
Uncharted Region LR-UR/74  
  
6:01 p.m., 03/18  
  
  
  
"There's twelve!! Each of you take out four!!" Virgil charged in with his EO activated. He released his back orbit cannons, totaling four orbitals to back him up while he battled with his rifle and flamethrower.  
  
Rose made quick work of them with her shotgun and spread howitzer, damaging several creatures at once. Iris' sniper bullets impaled the creatures' frail exoskeleton. The last creature was larger than the rest and aimed its spine blaster at Rose. She reacted, but was too late. Fortunately for her, Virgil stabbed the creature with his flamethrower's barrel, hoisted it over his head, and beheld a burning spectacle as the creature squirmed and scorched into oblivion.  
  
"Everyone okay?" Iris' AC had one small burn on its left leg. "Virgil?"  
  
"I'm fine. Let's move further in." His AC was riddled with burns.  
  
Geologic scans picked up an abrupt decrease in height. Revealing itself as a veil of mist faded away was a crater loomimg ahead. Iris was reminded of the crater back home. Fear rippled through her spine. They stood at the edge of the crater. In the center of the crater was a dead city, a dull patch, straight-edged and dotted with fine details, contrasting with the smooth and fuzzy terrain of the crater.  
  
"Look!" Rose pointed to some wreckage below the crater cliff.  
  
"That must be the recent exploration ship from Kisaragi. It was shot down, remember? It was all over the news when contact was lost." Iris reminded Rose as she jumped down into the massive bowl in the earth.  
  
There stood a main elevator terminal not unlike the on in the center of Nephilon City. It was enormous, even from the trio's distance.  
  
"Did you feel that?" Iris sensed something.  
  
"What?" Rose looked around, expecting one of the creatures to ambush them.  
  
"The ground just shook..."  
  
"That's gotta be one of the mo-" Virgil was interrupted when...  
  
"Sshh!!" Iris signaled for silence. The ground echoed. Pounding noises groaned from under. Iris felt her necklace jiggle; Virgil watched pebbles on the pavement hop and click.  
  
Asphalt under Virgil crumbled. A thousand cracks scurried their way outwards, eventually widening the hole.  
  
"Ah, what...!" Requiem plunged into the abyss, but Virgil activated his boosters. A blast from below disabled them. Requiem drifted into the deep. Iris and Rose fell headfirst. Activating their boosters in such a position will only accelerate their fall.  
  
Rose and Iris finally regained their normal falling position, but it was too late to boost up. Virgil activated his leg boosters as soon as his sensors picked up a surface. Iris and Rose landed more softly than he did.  
  
"Where are we?" Rose stepped forward. Her AC's footstep echoed.  
  
"Someplace huge and spacious." Virgil looked up. What was left of the hole in the ground was now a tiny speck of dim hope in the void of darkness. Invisible dust was made visible from the ray of light of the hole. That ray continued to stretch down. down. and down. Finally, it rested upon a memorial epitaph. Iris came over to read a message that hasn't been read in decades until now.  
  
"Here...  
  
In this land of dreams and prosperity...  
  
Promised by 'The One'...  
  
We, of Layered Alpha...  
  
Offer thou hope...  
  
For a home is of Want...  
  
As we cannot provide...  
  
We shall guide thee...  
  
Farewell, Destined One...  
  
May His lies become the truth upon thou..."  
  
Engraved on the immense stone was an angel, pointing up into the horizon. Iris' eyes followed, and came upon something of hope... A way home...  
  
"We can get back up from there." Silvermoon pointed to a sky-impaling tower far behind them, as the engraved angel had done for her. The tower was outlined by waxing and waning red specks of light.  
  
"That must be the main elevator we saw earlier." Rose reminded the group.  
  
"But, if there's an elevator here, then..." Rose's map scan was complete. A 3-D image of the 'cave' showed that they were standing in a city. "This place must be another..."  
  
"Layered..." Virgil said as he walked backwards, facing opposite of the main elevator. "W... We have to get back..." His AC's eye light was on.  
  
"What's wrong...?" Rose inquired as she and Iris turned away from the elevator. They both gasped.  
  
The entire horizon was illuminated by billions of red eyes. Buildings and city ruins reflected the bloody luminescence. Virgil continued to step back.  
  
"We got company... You two! Head back to the transport now!! Time's almost up!!" Virgil nearly screamed when he ordered them.  
  
"We're not leaving you here!"  
  
"It's no use!! I can't make it back to the elevator alive! My boosters are disabled and my core is an EO type!! Now, get back before the transport leaves you behind!!" One of the eyes lurched forward. Virgil's eye light caught a glimpse of the possessor of the eye cluster. It was the spider giants from District 2. It towered over Requiem. The mass of eyes stirred. A tumult of metal clanging rang through the air. "Tell Paige I said... 'goodbye.'"  
  
"But-"  
  
"GO, NOW!! I'll hold them off!!"  
  
"Iris, we don't have time!" Rose boosted straight for the elevator, evading any obstacles in her path with the help of her map and radar. Iris reluctantly started forward, careful not to get too far ahead of Rose. Iris tried one more time to contact Virgil.  
  
No answer.  
  
Rose knocked down the elevator door with her rocket and howitzer.  
  
"Hurry! They're all coming for us!!" Rose punched the giant elevator switch once Iris got in. She looked behind and the blanket of red scurried ever closer. The elevator started, rising up to the surface. The creatures fired, but damaged only the lower sections of the elevator tower.  
  
Rose wiped her eyes. She began to miss him. 


	28. Dove and Crow

Black Feather: Episode XXVIII  
  
"Dove and Crow"  
  
Uncharted Region LR-UR/74  
  
6:31 p.m., 03/18  
  
  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" A blast from behind collided with Chaotic Ruby's back, nearly making it fall. Iris was ahead of Rose, boosting backwards and firing her rockets at a gargantuan creature four times the height of an AC, with a leg span of a football field. Iris drained the last of her rockets and switched to her sniper rifle, which proved ineffective when the bullets glanced off the abnormal exoskeleton. Another blast from the giant's mouth sent Rose to the ground.  
  
"Rose!" Iris boosted forward and stood at Rose's side. In desperation, she fired her sniper rifle repeatedly at the tremendous arachnid. All of the bullets bounced off.  
  
One more shot...  
  
One more...  
  
The giant was a gushing relic of fire.  
  
Iris stared in disbelief. Had her rifle worked?  
  
Far behind the burning giant stood two ACs. One was as white and pristine as fresh snow, while the other was as dark and elusive as night. They turned around.  
  
"This is Angeline and Nera. Do you copy?"  
  
"Huh... Y-yes... This is Iris. My comrade is injured." Iris staggered in surprise. She didn't expect any other ACs in this hellhole.  
  
"There is a transport in the vicinity waiting for you. I suggest you move it." The dark one spoke.  
  
"My comrade is immobilized... I need help." The white AC motioned its arm in the air in response to Iris' request. Two worker MTs appeared from behind a mound. They helped Rose up and boosted her to the transport, as her core's posterior was destroyed. Iris, looking on at the MTs, turned back to the duo. They were quiet.  
  
"Thank you. How can I repay you?" If Iris were out of her AC, she'd bow to them.  
  
"By answering this question." The shining one spoke.  
  
"Where is our brother?" The two inquired together. Iris looked puzzled.  
  
"Who? Your brother...? I'm sorry, I don't have a clue..." Iris found the ensuing silence intense. Suddenly, they fluttered off in the direction the MTs went.  
  
"W-where are you going?" Iris watched the two sail ahead.  
  
"We've lost contact with the MTs." Iris decided to follow them.  
  
______________________  
  
  
  
Rose found herself in a confounding position. Two smoldering heaps of metal lay beside her. Chaotic Ruby was immobile, lying weakly on the freezing earth. Her right side screen had shattered, its shards slept on the flat surfaces. Some of them were tipped with blood.  
  
Her vision in a blur, Rose gave a last look at the HUD. Dark silhouettes of giant arachnids loomed in the distance. The titans crept closer and closer. Using every bit of strength in her ebbing body, she positioned the controls and pointed all of her weapons at the closest giant.  
  
Bursting into clouds of flame, the giant fell back. Voices echoed in her head as she lost consciousness.  
  
"...et...n...the......nsport!!! ......e'll... ld... m... ff..." Muffled cries beckoned Rose to awake, but the cockpit deactivated. The darkness comforted her; Rose couldn't tell if her eyes were closed or not, but she was too weak to care.  
  
Black out...  
  
______________________  
  
  
  
"...Are you alright...? ...How are you feeling...?"  
  
"...mm......wha..."  
  
"...I told you..."  
  
"...Told... me what...?"  
  
"...That you have to be careful once you left..."  
  
"...I know... Things happen..."  
  
"...You should be recovering... It's a good thing your core had above-average shields... Just rest up and you'll be fine... Sayuri."  
  
"...Who are you...?"  
  
"...Don't you remember me? Yuka..."  
  
"...Yuka... Is this a dream...?"  
  
"..."  
  
"...Well?"  
  
"...My time is near... I must go..."  
  
"...Wha... Wait! Don't leave me again! Yuka..."  
  
...A name so familiar and yet, so strange and foreign...  
  
...Yuka...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
I no longer felt confined in the cramped space of the cockpit. Air freely swam around me. Was it all a dream?  
  
"Rose...? Are you awake?" Iris' voice awoke me. I found myself in the transport again, lying on the bottom of a bunk bed located in the back. Iris sat on a chair to my right, while an on-board doctor shuffled around some spreadsheets. A warm towel was damp on my forehead.  
  
"Yeah... I'm awake..." I was surprised that my voice was so quiet.  
  
"Will she be okay?" Iris displayed genuine concern.  
  
"She'll be fine. A few cuts from the glass are nothing to worry about. Absorbing all those shots must've knocked her out. Even in the cockpit, the pilot is not safe as long as he/she is in combat." The doctor stood up and exited the resting room. Iris looked back at me.  
  
"Don't worry... We're almost home..." With that, she left the room also.  
  
  
  
Home... 


	29. Dreamsaga

Black Feather: Episode XXIX  
  
"Dreamsaga"  
  
???  
  
???  
  
  
  
Drifting... Never-ending... Blind... Lost... Forgotten...  
  
What hope have I in this never-ending, never-existing dream of mine?  
  
Love...  
  
Who needs love...?  
  
Pain... That was what love offered me... That was the ONLY thing love offered me...  
  
During those countless years of empty existence, I managed to crawl my way out, up and out of that hole filled with hope, and here I am... A Raven...  
  
Is that it...?  
  
A Raven?  
  
People see me as a Raven... Why can't they see me for who I am? Is it because they look down upon Ravens...? We Ravens give an attempt to eke out a seemingly comfortable living in this world... just like everyone else... even the Corporations...  
  
Just trying to survive...  
  
This world... it's...  
  
Comforting...  
  
So dark... so empty... this is... This world is... my mind... my heart... its memories tucked away in secret shadows... its emotions burned to ashes... its ashes burned to nothing...  
  
This is my secret world...  
  
A world I could retreat to...  
  
A world I could seek refuge within...  
  
Home...  
  
A pitch-black realm...  
  
A raven's...  
  
Black Feather...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
My life... where is it going...? I feel so empty... so useless... a dreg in a world of priceless possessions... possessions of those who are loved... and I... what am I...?  
  
Who am I...?  
  
Someone... please...  
  
Tell... me... who I am...  
  
Someone...  
  
Iris?  
  
She was lying on her side, flat on the pitch-black floor. I swam in the air down to her. My feet touched the invisible floor. It felt like an eternity since I've been able to walk.  
  
I rushed over to her. My hand reached for her shoulder, but a limelight appearing ahead startled me. In the limelight was... Another Iris?  
  
"Qastor, are you joking again?" She spoke.  
  
"Qastor, how could you?" Another appeared.  
  
"Qastor... You're so sweet..." Another appeared.  
  
"Qastor, I get real pissed off when you make those faces..." Another.  
  
"Qastor, get up! It's late..." Another...  
  
"Qastor... Thank you..." Another...  
  
"I love you... Qastor..." They all disappeared.  
  
My eyes were wide... My mind was bombarded with messages and feelings... What's happening? Iris was still lying below me. I shook her shoulder.  
  
"Iris...? Wake up... Iris...?" My index finger was moist. I withdrew my hand. It was tipped with...  
  
Blood...  
  
I held her shoulder and turned her slowly. Her left chest was red. The floor beneath her was stained with blood. I held her in my arms.  
  
"Iris!? Iris!! Wake up!! IRIS!!!!"  
  
Iris' head turned to me with fatigue. Her eyelids revealed a slit. A tear streamed from her ebbing eyes. Iris opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes closed again.  
  
"No......" I held her close... "NO!!!" I quickly let go of her. "Love... you threaten to hurt me again!? I won't have it!!! I WON'T!!! NO MORE... pain... please... just let me be..." I walked away from Iris. She dissipated into the repressed depths of my memories... only to be crushed and processed into nothingness... I came to a corner... I sat myself there, burying my face in my arms...  
  
"Iris... How am I supposed to live... without love...?"  
  
"You won't have to."  
  
"Why's that...?"  
  
"Because... you have me..."  
  
"You're not 'love'..."  
  
"Oh, you'd be surprised..."  
  
"If you really are 'love,' then stay away from me... You've torn off enough of my soul... aren't you satisfied? You were once hungry, so you sought me out... Now, aren't you full? Wasn't my empty soul enough to fill you up? Was it delicious? Was it bland? Don't tell me, 'cause I don't care..."  
  
"...Not even for Iris...?"  
  
"Keep away..."  
  
"Iris..."  
  
"I said keep away..."  
  
"Iris..."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Iris..."  
  
"No... No... NO!!!!"  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Iris... no... No... NO!!!" Reality blasted my eyes. Cold ovals of sweaty rime adorned my face. I was out of breath. My eyes were moist when I wiped them.  
  
I found myself in a white room, sitting on a white bed, with white sheets, with a white pillow, with white raiments clinging to my body, with white flowing curtains, a white tile floor, a large white window shimmering with white sunlight, and a white breeze withal.  
  
Cool, congenial air from the window chilled my sweat as I quickly rubbed them away. I felt lost energy returning to my dormant self. With renewed vigor, I swept the sheets off and made my way to the adjoining door.  
  
"Ah, crap!!" I found myself on the tile floor since my legs wouldn't stand.  
  
"*Gasp* You're awake!! He's awake!!" A young woman bursted from the very door I was heading for. She hollered with elation and helped me up to the bed.  
  
"Where am I?" I inquired as I tried to remember what had happened.  
  
"You're in the infirmary of the Laevaentteinn base." The golden haired lady proudly stated my location.  
  
"La-what?" That name puzzled me like a monkey in a bush.  
  
"Lae-vaen-tte-inn (la-vine-tee-in)." I felt like a toddler when she deliberately pronounced it for me.  
  
"Whatever... How did I get here?"  
  
"We found you in the smoldering remains of Sphere's detainment facility. You did one heck of a job kicking their bu-" She stopped when she saw me holding my head in agony. I suddenly remembered what was going on. Rey Vyn...  
  
"Are you okay!?" Her hands flashed to my shoulders.  
  
"Yeah... Just... how long... has it been?"  
  
"You've been in a coma for a week. We seriously didn't think you'd survive that red AC's beating!" She was ecstatic as she spoke of this.  
  
My eyes narrowed as I recalled Rey Vyn's AC beating me with its bare fists into a metallic lump.  
  
"What's your name?" She took her hands from my tense shoulders.  
  
"Ah, my name? It's... uh..." I remembered the dream. Iris... "It's Qastor."  
  
"Qastor... Is it? Well, I'm glad you're awake. The doctor should be here soon." She helped me up on my feet. I was able to stand again, but my legs were trembling.  
  
"You're legs must be asleep." She laughed as she said this.  
  
"Huh... I guess you're right." I admit, I was amused at myself. All six- years of Raven training were finally paying off for once. I wanted to thank the nice lady, but her name was unknown to me. "What's your name? Sorry for not asking earlier." A forgiving smile curved on her lips.  
  
"It's Diana." 


	30. Anxiety

Black Feather: Episode XXX  
  
"Anxiety"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base Cafeteria  
  
10:26 a.m., 03/19  
  
  
  
"You know, if you eat too fast, you might choke..."  
  
Diana was astounded when Qastor gorged his third helping. He didn't mind though. Not being able to eat any real food for a week and a day really makes one's stomach growl with a mad hunger, especially Qastor.  
  
The cafeteria was larger than the ones at Global Cortex, but there's only one in the entire base. It was a hexagonal mess hall with food distributors in the center. Two multi-purpose stages were set on the north and south poles of the hexagon along with a large-screen monitor for viewing news and announcements. The restrooms were placed in the northwest and southwest sides of the hexagon: northwest for males and southwest for females. An observation balcony may be accessed through the west partition and the entrance/exit may be found on the eastern side of the hexagon.  
  
Qastor leaned back on his chair with utter satisfaction. "Never had a big meal like that in loooong time..." He muttered aloud with a toothpick whirling between his lips.  
  
"Say, why not get some fresh air at the balcony? I'll just stay here and watch some of the announcements..." Diana had her eyes glued to the monitor in the same way Qastor did back at Global Cortex. He noticed and chuckled to himself.  
  
No one else was on the balcony, so he was able to take in the view all to himself. He leaned against the rails. Flat, lime green plains stretched on into the far ocean horizon. Tall, whispering grass stalks nodded with the breeze, soothing the stinging, salty air of the far sea. Qastor took a deep breath and remembered his dream.  
  
"Dreams... Dreams come and go... But, not this one... I've had many dreams during my coma. I've lived many lives and survived many experiences in them, but not like this one..." Qastor went back inside.  
  
Diana wasn't where he had last seen her. Qastor gave a shrug and went back to his new dormitory. Eating all that food made him sluggish.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor launched himself to the bed. With his face flat against the pillow, he groped for the remote controller on the adjoining dresser. He sat up and turned on the protruding monitor in the wall. The screen blurred as he madly surfed through the channels. He settled on a particular channel.  
  
"...A Raven transport has returned home to Wyndon City's Global Cortex at 2:35 a.m. this morning. A female Raven is injured, another is unhurt, while the last had died in action..."  
  
Qastor glanced at the screen. Iris was seen rushing out of the transport with a doctor and an injured person carried by some of the paramedics from the ground crew.  
  
"Hmm... Iris is on TV..." He closed his eyes again for a nap.  
  
"IRIS IS ON TV!?!?" Qastor lunged to the monitor. "IRIS!? IRIS!!" He was shaking the monitor with awesome rapidity. The screen went dead. His eyes twitched as he withdrew from the monitor. "What was that city again? Ah, Wyndon City... That's..." Qastor turned on the laptop on a nearby desk and opened up a map. "Damn... It's one thousand kilometers from here..." He needed to get back.  
  
The intercom in the corner of the ceiling beeped on.  
  
"Mr. Qastor, Commander Lucifer requests your presence. Please report to the conference hall."  
  
That's just the person Qastor wanted to see.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor arrived early with an air of haste. Diana, a woman, and a man were sitting at the far end of the long table. At the end of the conference hall was a large screen with a silhouette in front of it. The hall was dark and lit dimly by the flashing monitor.  
  
"Some guy named Lucy wants to see me here?" The man sitting near Diana put his hands to his forehead in shame, while the other sitting woman put her palm to her mouth to conceal a giggle. Diana got up and power-walked towards Qastor.  
  
"My name is Lucifer... Not 'Lucy.'" The silhouette turned around; the monitor turned off. Tremendous three-story curtains of silk and velvet cleft open and revealed large, ponderous glass panels that welcomed sunlight. Qastor shielded his eyes from the sudden invasion of light in this gloomy hall. He found Diana sitting down near, motioning him to do the same.  
  
"Have you anything to say before we begin?" The tall man at the monitor named Lucifer wore a long, dark tunic and a blue and gray trench coat. His long, indigo hair reached to his shoulder and a silver head ring encircled his head, but was only visible at his forehead. Qastor took a seat.  
  
"Yeah, I want to go to Wyndon City." Qastor's voice was solid and determined, but his expression crumbled when...  
  
"You can't." Lucifer stated sternly. "We did you a deed by providing you with food, shelter, room and board, among other luxuries, not to mention saving you from Sphere. In turn, you must fulfill a favor."  
  
"Fine. What do you want?" Qastor had already lost hope in returning to Iris in Wyndon City.  
  
"We need to save one of our most valued colleagues from the clutches of Sphere. A recent attack on one of their corporate counties has left us in this situation." Lucifer was impassioned when he spoke of his colleague's capture. A man of honor, Qastor thought.  
  
"Who is this 'colleague' of yours?" Lucifer looked out in the horizon from the windows in reply to Qastor.  
  
"Garnet." 


	31. Lucifer: The Dark Angel

Black Feather: Episode XXXI  
  
"Lucifer: The Dark Angel"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base, Main Conference Hall  
  
11:03 a.m., 03/19  
  
"Garnet?"  
  
"You heard right. She has the codekey for breaking through security in one of Sphere's labs."  
  
"Sphere... Is that who you're fighting against?"  
  
"We oppose all corporations except Union. They are our main benefactor." A long pause ensued. Lucifer spoke again. "We have reached the new world. And with it, there must be new resolutions. However, there hasn't been any. Sphere has fueled the corporate war as of late, and I... we believe that by taking them down, the war should at least subside long enough to make our main move."  
  
Qastor glanced at Diana, who was staring at the sky through the table's reflection. Lucifer turned from the scenery and back at Qastor.  
  
"The first mission begins tonight." Lucifer slowly paced back and forth.  
  
"What are the objectives?" Qastor turned his head toward him again. Lucifer motioned to sitting woman, who reached for a cell-phone-sized controller. Lucifer walked to the middle of the hall. Qastor stood up and followed. Upon meeting Lucifer face-to-face, the room was pitch-black again. Qastor glimpsed wildly about. It was soon that he would discover that the glass panels actually formed an immense monitor. A 2-D map of a city glowed in the monitor. Intricate, translucent lines mapped the streets, while similarly colored circles and rectangles outlined the buildings. A cursor highlighted a specific area in the northeastern section of the city.  
  
"This is Galistone County of Sphere. The highlighted area is the county's exportation energy plant, which provides energy for any outlying structures in the vicinity." The county map flashed, shriveled, and revealed more of the surrounding area. Another structure, located south of the county, was highlighted. "That building you see at the bottom is Garnet's current location. We are to put the exportation energy plant out of commission and raid the keep."  
  
"The keep? Is that what it's called?"  
  
"Correct. That structure is the Gardens Accord Keep. Its name betrays its true self. It is a massive defense structure heavily guarded and protected by an infallible security system. It also has a defensive dome shield protecting the entire keep."  
  
"What is the purpose of the structure?"  
  
"The keep stores Sphere's top-secret experimental results and raw data, as well as newly developed military weapons and shells. Garnet is locked in a certain area we haven't been able to map. Sphere must've thought we've completely withdrew from the area, so Garnet remains undetected. But... That mistake might not last for long. We have reason to believe it's deep underground. Once the power's out, the security system should deactivate for at least two minutes. That's where you and Diana come in. You two are to infiltrate the facility and rescue Garnet."  
  
"With what? MTs?"  
  
"No, with ACs. We've fully repaired your AC."  
  
"Thanks, but... Aren't ACs too big for infiltration?"  
  
"The entire facility has passageways which may accommodate an AC. MTs and such are required for the transportation of materials in and out, so large passageways are required."  
  
"What about the dome? How can we get through it?" Qastor sounded unsure.  
  
"The dome needs to open in order to let their security forces out. When that happens, we'll detonate the gates, disabling them and leaving them open. If the dome doesn't open, we'll have to blow a hole in it."  
  
"Alright. But, what about Garnet? What does he... uh, she look like?" He faltered as he said this, trying to remember the details.  
  
"She should still be in her AC." A new image appeared. A mellow red mid- weight bipedal AC was shown. "That's her AC. If she's not in it, I suggest you search on foot, for her own safety."  
  
"Alright, I gotcha." Qastor was casual now that he's been standing in the same place for quite some time.  
  
"Do you have any questions?"  
  
"Yeah. Don't forget. I'm a Raven. So... What's my reward?" He expected some respect since he was a Raven.  
  
"Besides letting you live and having provided you with food and shelter, I've prepared an AC part for you. I will also cover the maintenance and repair costs. Do you have any more questions?"  
  
"No, I gotcha."  
  
"Be ready by 1900 hours. Once you are, head for the hangar. Your AC and transport will be waiting."  
  
Fluorescent lights switched on in the ceiling and everything revealed itself. Qastor didn't care, as he just wanted to get out of the room. When he turned around for the exit, Diana made her way out.  
  
"Lucifer doesn't like it when those under him behave like that." Diana was waiting for him in the hall.  
  
"What's up with him?"  
  
"He's worried."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Sphere of course. They've been acting up lately, and sending their forces all over the land. We figured they'd be searching for something, but Lucifer isn't sure. But, whatever they're looking for, it's big."  
  
"Yeah, well, that's his problem. Not mine."  
  
"I'm not so sure about that. If one corporation conquers all, it affects everyone. Even Ravens."  
  
"Whatever... but I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"I'll meet you in the hangar at 1900 hours."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
With that, Diana returned to her duties, hugging a clipboard and some sheets against her chest. Her golden hair flowed as she briskly walked down the hall. Qastor turned, shook his head, and went to check up on Xanthippius.  
  
An abomination awaits in the night... 


	32. Golem

Black Feather: Episode XXXII  
  
"Golem"  
  
Galistone County Outskirts  
  
7:10 p.m., 03/19  
  
"Missiles approaching! Two kilometers!!"  
  
"Damn! They're expecting us!! All units activate stealth coats!! ECM units-"  
  
"It's no use! The ECM units are shot down!"  
  
"Missiles imminent at one kilometer!!"  
  
"All squads branch out! Everyone stay in your unit!"  
  
"Missiles incoming!"  
  
A cloud of missiles shining in moonlight dived toward us. My enhanced guided projectile interception system took out a swarm of the missiles like a hot knife through butter. I was unscathed but many weren't. The night screamed with jarring conflagrations.  
  
"Scout! Report damage!!"  
  
"Five allied MTs shot down! Thirty-five remaining!"  
  
"The bomber units!? What about them!?"  
  
"They're one kilometer behind us... We have to break the defensive line before the bombers get here!!"  
  
I gripped the controls. My eyes narrowed. Overboost activated.  
  
"What are you doing!? That's suicide!!" Diana didn't want anything to go wrong on this mission.  
  
"No thanks, Diana. At this ra-" The overboost shot me forward before I could finish my sentence. I activated my Stealth extensions. Leaving my squad behind was against orders, but at this rate, all of them would be annihilated.  
  
"Qastor~!!"  
  
I plowed through the defensive line with a quick swipe of my blade and broke left. I ended up at the end of the line. I aligned myself with the defensive line of artillery turrets. My railgun positioned, a suicide bullet shrieked through the defensive line. They all exploded in perfect rhythm while my rail bullet created a small but deafening sonic boom.  
  
"Enemy defensive line is down! All units, protect the bombers!! AC units, take out the enemy guards!!" I was proud of my accomplishment. An entire defensive line destroyed in one shot.  
  
"This is Lucifer. Reinforcements have arrived." He was calm as always.  
  
"It's about time!"  
  
"Scout, come with me. We'll have to keep an eye on the keep."  
  
"I'm coming t-"  
  
"You stay here with the bombers until I say you could move."  
  
"Tch! Have a nice time!" I veered back with the reinforcements and distracted the guard MTs until the bombers got here.  
  
Stars slumbered in their blankets of shadow. The moon was a spectator of the raid.  
  
"Bombers approaching! All units move out!" The hum of the bombers echoed in the night sky.  
  
"B-03 is down! I repeat, B-03 is down!! Three bombers remaining!! Two units down!!"  
  
"Damn... All long-range units! Fire at will! Aim for the plant!!" I ordered my troops, and was amazed at the result.  
  
The plant exploded into a performance of sparks and flames. Some of the city lights flickered into darkness along with all of the outlying structures.  
  
"All raid units! Follow me! Diana and Markham, you too! All bombers to the keep!! Remaining units, clean up the area!!" Thirteen units stayed behind and dealt with the remaining forces to keep them away from the bombers, while twenty went with me.  
  
With that, I followed Lucifer's trail. I could see the dome keep from here. It resembled an alien pearl shimmering in lunar rays.  
  
"This is Qastor. What's the situation over there?"  
  
"Enemy units are being deployed. Awaiting further commands." Scout responded first.  
  
"Lucifer, are you gonna blow it up or not?" A glance at his AC and you know he's all dynamite. He was outfitted with over ninety grenade shells.  
  
"They're not letting up. Looks like we'll use Plan B." Lucifer waited for the bombers. "All bombers, aim for the black spot on the dome! All units attack! Qastor and Diana, don't go near until we punch a hole!!" He sounded more excited now.  
  
Lucifer aimed one more shot at the black spot fired. Immediately after it struck its mark, he and seven other MTs charged in. Markham, another AC rebel, led thirteen MTs. Diana and I waited behind some hills near the target entrance. We spoke in whispers, even though our transmission was encrypted.  
  
"Any units near us?"  
  
"Not any that I know of. Bombers almost there." Diana seemed nervous.  
  
"I though you'd be used to this kind of thing."  
  
"Used to what?" She was more serious now.  
  
"Nevermind... There, the hole is weakening. We should get going." I boosted ahead, but she overboosted. By the time I reached the keep, the hole could be clearly seen. Battles were taking place on the other side of the keep.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Let's just go."  
  
"Ladies first." Exasperated, Diana went ahead, boosted up, and dropped into the hole. I took a deep breath. What have I gotten myself into?  
  
A chilling draft cooled down my armor as I descended.  
  
Mission: Rescue Rebel Colleague  
  
Operation Name: Dance Macabre  
  
Client: Laevaentteinn  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 0c  
  
Requesting Figure: Lucifer  
  
Opponent: Sphere  
  
Enemy Forces: Unknown  
  
Time: 7:23 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: Gardens Accord Keep  
  
"Computer, systems check."  
  
"All systems functioning at full capacity. Warning: Temperature Decrease. Current Temperature: 6 ?C."  
  
The computer was right. It was getting cold down here.  
  
"Diana, do you copy?" I waited for a reply. "Diana...? Computer, what's the altitude?"  
  
"6750 meters and dropping. Landing imminent at 7500 meters."  
  
"Damn that's deep."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Large splashes of blood smeared across the freezing metal walls as dim lights guided me through the tunnel.  
  
"How the hell...? Blood? This much?" I proceeded with utmost caution. A disturbing noise rung the abandoned catwalks on the wall. Bugs...  
  
"Oh noooo..." An AC was backstepping from an adjoining tunnel.  
  
"Diana!? What's wrong!?" I boosted my way to her.  
  
"Ahead... It's..." I turned right and saw what Diana saw. Ahead was a colossus, one twice the size of an AC. Some of its armor panels were hanging loose, which exposed its throbbing flesh. It left massive footprints of blood in its wake. It traipsed slowly with its back slightly hunched over, its spinal spikes ran down the center. Half of its face was covered with a metallic mask, while the other half was demonic flesh with a popped-out eye dangling as it trudged. Saliva and white foam ran from its drooping mouth, full of serrated layers of fangs. In its right hand was a ponderous cannon, about three times the size of a Karasawa rifle. The massive rail barrel scraped against the frosty floor, leaving trails of sparks.  
  
I stepped back also, but my back soon met the wall. Diana was in the same predicament.  
  
"Where the hell did it come from!?"  
  
"I don't know... It jumped right out of that door and started walking towards me..."  
  
It pointed its cannon at us.  
  
"Oh sh-" I reacted immediately and attacked with my rail gun. Blood bursted from its left shoulder as the bullet ripped through and ricocheted 30 times in the tunnel behind the giant. I found its left arm hanging by a strand of flesh from its armpit. Watching it fall to the ground made Diana queasy. The giant bellowed in pain and pointed the cannon again.  
  
"Ah, attack now!!" I fired blindly at the giant's body with my rifle and chain gun. The giant's body shook as the bullets penetrated. Its cannon was still pointed. Diana fired and a green shroud of energy and electricity concealed its right hand, knocking the cannon off balance. Angered, the giant quickly aimed and fired its cannon.  
  
"MOVE IT!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" I strafe boosted to the right and Diana broke left. A burning flash jarred the tunnel. I turned around and found a smoldering hole in the previous wall, dripping with liquid metal. I've had it with the pile of standing crap and boosted forward, slicing its legs. I was amazed at how fragile the giant was, and how it lost both legs. Diana was standing on the other side of the giant with her laserblade heated. We had both sliced the giant's legs.  
  
It wasn't the end, however. As the giant screamed lying on the ground, it managed to turn around, grab its cannon, and aim it at me. I was too stunned to react, since its enormous flesh and muscles gave it more maneuverability over any AC. A roaring flash of fire engulfed the giant's hand. The tunnel shook as the giant's cannon flew and landed away from its owner. Its right hand was missing and the entire right arm was charred. It shrieked.  
  
"What are you two doing!? Get in and save Garnet now! I'll finish this freak off." Lucifer's AC, Grenadier, tremored the tunnel with its heavy footsteps. Diana and I listened and made our way through the tunnel behind the giant.  
  
Almost finished. Almost home. 


	33. Arkunis Ceipheid

Black Feather: Episode XXXIII  
  
"Arkunis Ceipheid"  
  
Gardens Accord Keep Underground Layer  
  
7:36 p.m., 03/19  
  
"Watch out!! Don't get any closer!!!" A female voice rang through my cockpit.  
  
"Garnet!?" Diana boosted ahead, but stopped as soon as...  
  
"It's dangerous in here!! Get out while you can!!" Diana stopped and withdrew a little.  
  
I spotted a garnet hued AC standing behind a large pillar. Sparks flew from its right shoulder, where its arm was missing and its entire armor was damaged. I went up to the corridor and peeped into the void. Garnet was near us and from the looks of the structure, it was an enormous rotunda. Every sound we made in that dome reverberated off the high walls.  
  
"Garnet, let's get out of here!!" It seemed like Diana didn't want her friend to die in a place like this.  
  
"It's MUCH easier to say it than do it!! Just get out- Aaahh!!" A spinning lance of plasma whizzed through the pillar, slicing it in two. The pillar gave way and Garnet boosted out of the way. I launched myself into the rotunda to get her. Another wave of energy came and barely missed me by five inches. I lost balance, but made my way to Garnet.  
  
"Diana, get in here! Take Garnet and I'll hold off whatever's in here!!" Diana boosted in and led Garnet out.  
  
"Be careful..." Those words made my heart sink, coming from Garnet. Whatever mutilated her AC like that is bound to do so similarly to me. I started to wonder if I'll ever see Iris again...  
  
I was finally able to see the oppressor. Its armor was black and white. Its arms were long cannons, which it brandished in the air. Two blades stuck out from the back of the cannon arms. Its head was shaped like that of an elongated egret's, but had no details on it. There was no face, no eyes, no sensors, nothing; the head was just white glossy metal, like a perfect pearl. Six thick spikes protruded from its back, with narrow, linear, vein-like grooves glowing with blue-green energy. Also from its back were two distinct, metallic wings. One wing resembled an angel's wing, while the other was distinguished as a devil's.  
  
I charged in with overboosters, ready to break-slice him. But then...  
  
"AAAGGGHHHHH!!!!" I screamed as I was thrown to the ground. I landed hard on my core and the missile interception barrel snapped. My left arm, dismembered, landed next to me, its laserblade still drawn and nearly sliced my head as it twirled.  
  
"WARNING: LEFT ARM OFF-LINE."  
  
"Don't you think I know that!?" I was furious as it took me a few precious seconds to get up with one hand. I kneeled down and grabbed my rifle.  
  
The air was stagnant, as if nothing had happened.  
  
I found myself slamming against the metallic wall with intense force. The screens fizzed and sizzled with stripes of gray and black.  
  
"WARNING: LEFT BACK WEAPON AND OVERBOOSTERS OFF-LINE. CORE RESPONSE DECREASED TO 70%."  
  
"This can't be happening..." I had the wind knocked out of me and one of my side-screens had shattered. My chain gun and overboosters were damaged in the impact, as I was thrown against the wall back-first. My AC leaned against the cold, metal surface. This was it for me...  
  
"If you're gonna finish me off, you might as well do it now, damn lunatic..." That 'thing' just appeared out of nowhere in front of me. I recoiled. My eyes grew wide... Is this the end?  
  
"W... What the hell are you!?" I suddenly remembered. The structure of that... 'thing'... was similar to Rey Vyn's Ark Omnis. I knew it then... 'It' had some relation to him and was using the same time-freezing technique I had used at Sphere's detainment facility.  
  
"My NaMe...." My ears shivered and its drums quaked, as the voice had a shrieking mechanical quality to it. I could sense excruciating pain from the voice.  
  
"Is AnGeLuS..." 


	34. Longinus: Laevaentteinn's Secret Weapon

Black Feather: Episode XXXIV  
  
"Longinus: Laevaentteinn's Secret Weapon"  
  
Gardens Accord Keep Underground  
  
7:43 p.m., 03/19  
  
  
  
"Qastor, what's going on?" A familiar, calm, cold voice was comforting in this dire situation.  
  
"Lucifer!? Get your #@$% outta here!!"  
  
"An Omnis..." I was shocked when Lucifer blankly said that. "I'll take care of it. You go on up. There's a temporary pulley to get you out of the hole." My boosters were off-line also, so I had to jog out, but I stopped as soon as I saw Lucifer transform. The grenade launchers on his back multiplied by three and spread out in a curve like a smile. His core shifted to accommodate them. His arm weapons twisted and writhed into two identical machine grenade rifles. "Hurry up! I can't hold him off forever."  
  
I activated my Stealth extensions just in case. I stared at Lucifer's AC, it's black armor gleaming in darkness. I blinked and he was gone. Rapid explosions hollered in the distance of the shadows. I reached the point where the giant had been. All that remains is an enormous streak on the ground. A streak of burnt flesh, molten metal, and shattered bones. Whatever Lucifer did to the giant I dare not think, but I never doubted his skills ever again, even with his slow heavyweight AC.  
  
The temporary pulley lifted me up faster than my boosters would've carried me if they were functional. The tunnel quaked with rapid explosions again. I looked down and saw flames coming up at me.  
  
"CRAP!! PULL FASTER!!!" The pulley accelerated, but the conflagration rose steadily. If it reaches me, I'm toast...  
  
I could finally see the night sky. The flames were gnawing at my AC's heels. I jumped up and out of the hole, and found myself sliding against the keep's dome armor. I jumped again and landed on the soft night soil, where a transport waited. I turned and looked back. A pillar of fire raged from the hole in the dome. The pulley team withdrew. I got in the transport as it prepared for lift off.  
  
"Hey, wait! Are you just gonna leave your leader in there!?"  
  
"There's no choice! We've lost enough units as it is and they're only going to send more reinforcements!" It was a good reason, but I still objected.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just be quiet and don't worry. You'll see." The transport pilot sounded confident.  
  
In a moment, I did see. Lucifer's AC exploded out of the dome with unparalleled speed. It reverted back into its normal form. Still in my AC, I saw the transport hatch lower.  
  
"What the hell are you do-"  
  
"Make way or he'll run into you!!"  
  
Lucifer activated his overboosters and flew straight for the transport.  
  
"Holy-" Lucifer almost rammed into me as he entered the transport in midair.  
  
"Get the hell out here now!! He's coming!!" Lucifer was right. That 'thing' called Angelus busted out of the dome and faced us, floating still above the three-hole dome. The keep now looked like a bowling ball, which reminded me of Malirant. Angelus just floated there, staring at us.  
  
The transport hatches closed and we chased the moon back home.  
  
Home...? I stayed there for less than a day and I'm already calling it 'home.' 


	35. Identity

Black Feather: Episode XXXV  
  
"Identity"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base  
  
11:32 a.m., 03/20  
  
  
  
After my light breakfast, I immediately headed over to Lucifer's headquarters, with the help of maps on the wall and a few guards. When I arrived, I saw Garnet for the second time. The first time was last night, when she was checking up on her AC. She exited out of his room, bumping into my shoulder as she passed. I looked at her and noticed that she was retreating rather briskly. I turned back and walked in, finding Lucifer sorting some papers.  
  
"What happened right there?" I pointed to the door.  
  
"It does not concern you." He sounded flustered.  
  
"Well, uh-"  
  
"You're going to ask me about your leaving to Wyndon City?" I nodded dumbly. Lucifer tucked the papers in an open suitcase, shut it closed, and locked it. He then browsed in his computer. "The transport should be ready tomorrow, since your AC repairs aren't complete. Your AC part should arrive at your location in two days." Just what I wanted to hear.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
"Now that you mention it, what was all that transforming back there? The keep, I mean." Lucifer withdrew from the computer and folded his fingers, as if deep in thought. I waited for an answer, and my efforts came to fruition. "We'll talk about it tonight in the conference hall." I nodded and left him alone, still with his hands intersecting each other.  
  
The day dragged on slowly, as is often the case when I'm anxious about something. It was uneventful, and I spent most of it in my dormitory, packing things up, watching the news, and taking a nap. When evening visited, Diana knocked at my door.  
  
"Uh... yeah?" I was half-awake when she came by.  
  
"Lucifer wants to talk to you. He's in the conference hall."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be there." I quickly got up, put on my shoes, and left the room. I glanced to my left and right, expecting to catch a glimpse of Diana, but she was nowhere in sight. The people here sure are weird.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Omnis..."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I don't know myself. All I know is this: it is responsible for our rebel forces' success. Without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. Why do you ask?" Lucifer and I were alone in the same conference hall. He stood at the windows, his arms folded and his melancholic eyes staring out into the night. I was near, facing him.  
  
"........." I became silent, but somehow, Lucifer knew. "I-"  
  
"You too?" There was a pause, but Lucifer broke it. "I learned to use it three years ago. Our rebel force was caught in a perilous situation. Garnet was attacked, and somehow, it happened. Soon afterwards, I learned that whenever Garnet was near me and in peril, I had the option of using this 'power.' However, Garnet was already up on the surface, far away from me, but you were near and in danger. This led me to conclude that you too are an Omnis. That means you were once an orphan, correct? Then you were given an identity..."  
  
I was quietly stunned at how much Lucifer knew. My head faced the ground. I opened both of my palms and stared. "Me? What about Garnet?"  
  
"What about her?" Although Lucifer knew what I was asking, I sensed that he said so just in case.  
  
"Has she used it also?"  
  
"The power? ...Yes, it is branded as 'Anima' among females. We fought a massive MT once, and I found myself on the verge of shut down. However, she..." He stopped. I blinked.  
  
"She what?"  
  
"Nevermind. All I know is that you're one of 'us,' from the looks of how you annihilated the Sphere forces at the detainment facility." Qastor's eyes widened. "No one but I saw how you fought. Maybe another, but that doesn't matter." Lucifer's tone betrayed him.  
  
"You're not telling me everything... aren't you...?" Anger welled up inside me. I always expected those around me to be honest.  
  
"There are times when a lie is the truth to those who can't handle it. In this case, it is silence..." Lucifer started walking out. I pursued him.  
  
"I'm not done with you! Tell me what you know! Tell me who I am!!" I was short of breath from everything I was told. Lucifer stopped near the door. There was yet another pause. A heavy, intense pause...  
  
"I've told you everything that you need to know." With that, Lucifer walked out. Frustrated and pained, I struck the table with my fist and threw one of the chairs across the floor. Hurtful beads of tears dropped on the glossy surface. I began to wonder...  
  
"...Who am I...?" 


	36. Wandering Shard of Nine

Black Feather: Episode XXXVI  
  
"Wandering Shard of Nine"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base  
  
6:39 a.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
"Commander! Our chief engineer has made a discovery!"  
  
"Bring him in." Lucifer's fingers intersected each other in an X fashion. The door guard made way. A chubby, oil-stained man entered the quarters, carrying a belt-full of tools on his jolly waist and a pungent stench on his oil-ragged attire.  
  
"Sir!" The engineer's clenched hand struck his chest as a salute.  
  
"What did you find?"  
  
"A black box... in our guest's AC..."  
  
"A black box...?" The words made Lucifer close his eyes.  
  
"I-it... We can't dismantle or remove it, but doesn't seem to affect the performance of the AC..." The engineer prattled on as Lucifer deeply thought. In the midst of the incessant unilateral chatter...  
  
"That's enough. You're dismissed. Thank you for informing me."  
  
"Sir!" The chief engineer trudged his way out.  
  
"Summon Markham and Scout." Lucifer's associate responded and requested the presence of the said couple. A minute later, they arrived and entered courteously.  
  
"Sir!" They sternly greeted in vigorous unison.  
  
"At ease." Lucifer stood up from his chair and paced about near his desk. Markham and Scout relaxed their postures. "I need you two to secretly occupy Ascalon Citadel. Don't ask why. Just trust me."  
  
They accepted and parted. Exasperatingly, Lucifer dropped himself into his chair and swiveled to face the glowing curtains behind him.  
  
His glass cup shattered.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Walking down the hall towards the transport area, Qastor passed by the quiet mess hall. The silence broke.  
  
"Ah, let me go!" Qastor backtracked and peeped in. Two men seized a boy of ten years. Qastor intervened.  
  
"Hey, what's going on here?" Startled, but not shaken, the men turned their eyes to Qastor, releasing their grip from the boy. They looked at each other suspiciously and turned to Qastor. One of the two stepped forward.  
  
"Yeah, that little twerp stole my wallet!" The other stepped up and said the same thing. The first one looked at the boy and gave a threatening glare. Qastor, not noticing, turned to the boy who retreated behind him.  
  
"Is that true, little guy?"  
  
"I-I need money to buy some food..." One of the men lurched forward, but Qastor stopped him. The boy retreated into Qastor's shadow.  
  
"Hey, come on. Give the little guy a break." The man withdrew. Qastor squatted down to the boy. "How about this? If you give those two guys their wallets back, I'll buy you some breakfast. How's that sound?"  
  
The boy nodded with elation as he threw the wallets to the men. They walked out with fearsome looks at the boy. Qastor told the boy to wait as he bought two sandwiches, but the boy followed.  
  
"Here you go, little guy." The boy accepted the plastic case of sandwiches with a smile. "Say, what's your name?"  
  
"My name?" The boy was already munching on the first sandwich. "Aries."  
  
"Aries huh?" Qastor felt an indescribable feeling well up inside him. He took off his right glove and slightly twisted his platinum ring. Rey Vyn's keepsake... He squatted down again and held the ring for Aries to see. "You see this ring? It's yours now. Keep it safe, ok?" Aries' eyes widened as he forcefully gulped down a sandwich wad.  
  
"Are you serious, mister?"  
  
"'Course I'm serious. By the way, you can call me Qastor."  
  
"Thanks... Q-Qastor. Thanks a lot!" Aries' face fell when he discovered that the ring was too large for any of his scrawny fingers, but looked up with a thankful face. Qastor grinned with pride.  
  
"Alright, Aries, eat up. Sorry I can't join you; I gotta ride to catch."  
  
Aries stared at the raven on the ring and held it up to the light, where it gleamed with opulent magnificence. He turned back to the corridor and looked on as Qastor returned to his destination with a gray sack bobbing on his back.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor settled himself down in the passenger cabin of the land transport. It was dark inside, so he lifted a window shutter to his right and watched the silent motion of the horizon. They were far from the base when one of the drivers entered the cabin. Qastor got up and moved to the main aisle.  
  
"Is something-"  
  
"We've been waiting for you... Mr. Qastor." The man pulled out a dark pistol from his jumpsuit. Qastor recognized a hidden insignia on the jumpsuit. Sphere!  
  
Trigger pulled, Qastor fell to the ground. 


	37. Bloodshed

Black Feather: Episode XXXVII  
  
"Bloodshed"  
  
Ascalon Citadel Abandoned Business Block AC-BB/-09  
  
7:21 a.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
"They're coming."  
  
"Yeah, I know. The ground's shaking..." My quadripedal AC could sense vibrations in the ground like a seismograph. Scout was tense, but then again, anyone would be. The two of us against an entire strike force...  
  
We were taking cover in an abandoned business block of the citadel. The broken glass and cement gravel clicked and bobbed on the pavement. They're getting closer...  
  
"Is this why Lucifer sent us here? To take out all of them by ourselves?"  
  
"We should trust him. Besides, he said so, didn't he-"  
  
The buildings we were hiding up against shattered in a cloud of fire. A volley of missiles thrashed the adjacent structures. A second later, the roads were littered with debris...  
  
"Scout, I'll go right. You take the left!" Scout responded and boosted through the left street. I looked on, not knowing if I'll ever see her again.  
  
"You be careful, Markham!" I told her I will and branched right.  
  
I went straight through an intersection, where a hail of bullets barely missed me. I lifted up over the rooftops, expecting to see a cloud of airborne fliers. I was right. I dropped and found a battle MT right in front of me, the type with twin chain guns and a missile launcher. Immediately, I thrusted my bazooka in its face and pulled the trigger. Taking advantage of the ensuing flames, I strafe boosted to my right, only to find five more in its wake. They all fired their peashooters right at me. Some bounced off my armor, while most missed as I jumped into the air. I took out two with my bazooka and another with my spread howitzer. I landed and found yet another in my face, but soon exploded before I could pull the trigger. Another MT behind it had fired and unexpectedly killed its own comrade. I fired through all the smoke in front of me and picked off the last one.  
  
Small, mobile MTs loomed behind me. They fired as I turned around. Seven shells hit as I braced for impact. My heat built up quickly and I jumped in the air again to cool off more. I feather-boosted from above and shot down four MTs with my missiles. Three more shells jarred my AC, but the next impact sent me twisting to the ground. An unfortunate fighter jet flew right into me, knocking me off balance and sailing down with my core and arm armor shredded. The fighter jet was torn and its debris littered the pavement. I landed on my right arm and my bazooka spun from my grip.  
  
WARNING: RIGHT SHOULDER JOINT ACTUATOR DAMAGED. RIGHT ARM RESPONSE DECREASED TO 12%. SUB-ENGINE RAS-SE/02 OFF-LINE. LEAK DETECTED. RIGHT EXTENSION OFF-LINE.  
  
I juggled the controls, scrambling to my four feet again. I lurched forward. The cockpit was suddenly an oven. Cannon MTs were behind me.  
  
"Markham!" Scout appeared overhead from one of the buildings.  
  
"Scout! NO!" She was tossed against a building when six grenade shells clashed with her right side. "SCOUT!!!" More MTs and air fighters came, cocking their artillery and threatening to kill if I make a wrong move. Scout, after painting a horrid dent in one of the buildings, lied on the sidewalk, her right arm and leg was completely blown off and most of her armor was ripped apart. Sparks and electricity cackled all around her AC. I never felt so helpless in my life. The only thing left to do was to drop all of my weapons.  
  
That is, until a blinding flash ensued. I released the controls and buried my eyes in my arms, but even then, the light was too bright. A thousand explosions went off all at once. The light subsided and I found myself shielding my ears. I could feel my eardrum vibrating rapidly, which soon turned to immense pain. The internal noise filter activated, but only mitigated the pain. The explosions silenced exactly like the light had. I withdrew my hands, moist with blood from my ears. They rung like possessed bells and I could hear little of anything else. My first instinct was to get out of my AC.  
  
Piles and piles of smoldering and burning debris decorated the block. All of which had fresh, straight, slice marks outlined with molten bubbles of metal. But what caught my eye was a vibrant blue AC in the air. Four cannons danced frozen in the air behind it, while two dual cannons hung from its back. Two dual laserblades from its arms retracted. All of its cannons faded away and turned into a chain gun and rail gun. Its arms emaciated into lightweight types, carrying a laserblade and a rifle. Its shadowy glow receded, descended, and it knelt to the ground.  
  
Scout limped her way toward me from her AC. She was badly hurt and her right arm was moderately burned. I ran over and helped her move. We made our way to the back of the AC. Now, I remembered. It was the same AC from the mission two days ago. The cockpit shutters opened all at once and the pilot fell out. I inspected his body.  
  
He had a bullet wound in his left chest. 


	38. Parting

Black Feather: Episode XXXVIII  
  
"Parting"  
  
Ascalon Citadel Abandoned Business Block AC-BB/-09  
  
7:35 a.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
[...]: Qastor's dialogue inside his mind.  
  
...: Other person in Qastor's mind.  
  
"...": Dialogue between Iris and Qastor (memories).  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
[...Where am I...? What happened to me...?]  
  
...You're dead...  
  
[...What...!? But, how...]  
  
...Qastor... You were shot... right in your heart...  
  
[...Then... why am I still here?]  
  
...You are neither living, nor are you dead. This is your world... you are free to enter or leave... even if you are dead...  
  
[...My... world...]  
  
...That's right...  
  
[...Then... who are you...? What are you doing in my... world?]  
  
...I am... I... am...  
  
[...Tell me...]  
  
"Qastor? Is that your name?"  
  
"Huh? Yeah... at least, I think it is..."  
  
"How strange... you're a strange one..."  
  
[...What the!? Why... Why am I here? Iris...?]  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I come here to think..."  
  
[...That's right... Iris... She was standing there, thinking about something... in the cherry blossom garden. It was in full bloom, that April...]  
  
"Really...? It's a pretty place..."  
  
"You think so, too?"  
  
[...Now I remember... This place... this was when I first met Iris... It was after I met Rey Vyn in the arena, during one of my training sessions. I didn't know what to do after he left, so I... went for a walk and wandered into the cherry blossom garden. Iris stood there... facing the cherry blossom tree... the falling petals rained in her eyes, I remember... We then sat at the base of the tree. It was so... serene...]  
  
"What made you become a Raven, Iris?"  
  
"I don't... know... I left my parents behind... they... don't know about me becoming a Raven..."  
  
"That's awkward..."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"No, not your past... It's... how similar we are..."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"I left my family behind, too. My father strongly disapproved of my becoming a Raven, but I left anyway. I found out, just recently, that my entire family died one year after I left..."  
  
"...So... you're all alone?"  
  
"Hahaha... yeah... I guess I am..."  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"I always felt alone... even with my family around. As a child, I always felt... 'unique'... in some way. I could always keep a straight face... never laugh... never cry. I was emotionless..."  
  
"You still are?"  
  
"Not so sure about that anymore..."  
  
[...I looked at her, and found her gazing into my eyes... I felt something then... Was it fate? She smiled... and something caught my eye. Iris pointed it out for me... It was...]  
  
"Look..."  
  
"A monarch butterfly...?"  
  
"That's right... I can't believe they're still here though..."  
  
"Why's that, Iris?"  
  
"You rarely see any monarch butterflies nowadays... They say if you hold out a finger and one perches on it, then that means you're in love..."  
  
[...I remember... Iris held out her's... It landed perfectly... I was mesmerized by the grace of the moment... She glanced at me and smiled again...]  
  
"That's weird..."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"I..."  
  
[...Huh... I had some trouble telling her. I was afraid I might scare her off or something...]  
  
"I... I don't want this moment to end..."  
  
"...I feel the same..."  
  
[...We were both surprised at the moment, although I was fully convinced she must've seen it coming... somehow... And then there was... the promise...]  
  
"Promise me something...?"  
  
"Huh? Uh yeah, whatever you want..."  
  
"Promise me... that if we ever get separated somehow... that we'll meet here..."  
  
"...I promise..."  
  
[...What a lie... I never kept her promise... Our promise... I didn't know what she meant when she said it, but I decided I should keep our promise. Iris... As the year withered away, so did my memories... I'm sorry... so... sorry...]  
  
...Do you know who I am now...?  
  
[...No... I don't... and I may never...]  
  
...Maybe this'll help...  
  
[...This... This place... it's the same... the cherry blossom garden... only that it's been a year later... The cherry blossom tree where Iris and I first met was now ancient, but larger... It was April again... The shrine bells struck serenely in the background... I was... dying...]  
  
...You remember...  
  
[...Of course... It was during a terrorist attack at the Security Headquarters... I escaped as a hostage, but I was shot... And there... The 'sakura' were dancing to the ground... I found myself laying down against the grass... I inched my way to the tree... my blood smearing across the dirt... I made it there... and... I held out my palm, letting a cherry blossom twirl calmly onto it... And I still remember clearly... that cherry blossom changed into a... white and... black feather...]  
  
...There was more...  
  
[...That's right... I died there...]  
  
...Shortly after you were shot, you managed to travel a mile with your wound to the shrine hill, crawl up the stairs, and to the tree... It was strange for Security to discover a path of blood smeared against the shrine stairs...  
  
[...Iris knew about the terrorist attack and that I was one of the hostages... I wanted to meet her again, since she'd been completely busy ever since reaching B-3... I tried to keep my promise... but I failed...]  
  
...So, you died twice... that proves it... a dead man could die again and still live... but... was this really the case...?  
  
[...I died there... I clearly remember...]  
  
...Did you really...? If you go back there, you'll find a memorial...  
  
[...Of what...?]  
  
...A memorial... of a Raven... who died with two feathers in his hands...  
  
[...]  
  
...That Raven's ashes were buried there... and...  
  
[...?]  
  
...Iris never knew about your death...  
  
[...]  
  
...Qastor...  
  
[...?]  
  
...These aren't just your memories...  
  
[...Why's that?]  
  
...These... are my memories also...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
What's...  
  
"Som...ne...all...e...ramedics!! ..."  
  
Happening...?  
  
"...stor? ... Qa...or!!"  
  
Ah, such pain in my heart...  
  
"...ld...on!!"  
  
Am I dying...? Have I died already...?  
  
Why am I feeling so much pain...?  
  
Iris... I wonder where she is...?  
  
Malirant... he's gone too...  
  
And that little guy too... Aries? Yeah, hope he's okay...  
  
Ah, my ears are clearing up... Voices?  
  
"Stay put, Scout... I'll get him into the cockpit..."  
  
Someone's forcing me somewhere... Ah, stop it... Let me rest... rest...  
  
Warmth... Warmth...? Why am I sitting in my cockpit...? Whoever shoved me up here is gone... The pain is going away... I'll miss it... What's this...? Something's pushing a thought into my head...  
  
Omnis?  
  
"...st... oy... th... RK..."  
  
What...?  
  
"Destroy the ARK..."  
  
What the hell are you talking about...?  
  
The pain is gone... Whoever took that pain away, I'll thank you once I find you.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
My entire strength returned. I felt like a new person, like a soldier returning home from a war. So much energy. I opened my eyes for the first time in many hours. There was a hole in my shirt; its edges were burned and dark. It somehow had a slight metallic stench to it, which offended my senses. I took it off immediately, and I noticed something. My bullet wound was gone. There was no scar, no evidence of my being shot. I remembered clearly the time when I was murdered, and when a sudden, painless impact killed me. I was dead... Now, resurrected. It was strange... To realize that I was once... Nevermind.  
  
I opened a small compartment near the left pedal and pulled out an old, dusty combat shirt. I shoved the blood-stained one into the compartment. I made my way out of the core and out into a city block I never saw before. I patted my old combat shirt to release the dust and quickly put it on, since the cold evening snapped at my skin. I noticed a fire crackling in front of Xanthippius and followed it like a moth to a street lamp. There, I found an acquaintance, Markham, sitting on a cement boulder with a teenager lying on his lap. He turned around and flinched, almost knocking the young one away.  
  
"Y-you! You're alive!!" I walked over and settled myself on the pavement, not making a big deal about my revival.  
  
"How is she?" I noticed him slowly sweeping his hand through the girl's wavy hair.  
  
"Scout? Yeah, she got burned. I'm a little afraid though."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"When she wakes up. And when she does, I'd hate to see her suffer from the burn." An idea popped into my head.  
  
"Hey, why not put her in my AC's cockpit?"  
  
"What?" He looked at me with confoundedly.  
  
"It healed my wound, somehow." I involuntarily rubbed my left chest. "It should be able to recover her burns, right?"  
  
Markham turned to Scout. "It's worth a try." He started and placed Scout into Xanthippius' cockpit, just like he did for me, only with more care. When he got out, he left the shutters opened for air circulation, and settled himself on his rock.  
  
We were in a wide intersection. I leaned back on my arms and looked up into the star-clad sky. Markham stared into the fire. We didn't speak for some time. Still gazing into the fire, Markham spoke.  
  
"You were dead." He was terse.  
  
"I was..." That ended the conversation. We didn't talk again for another while. I decided to speak.  
  
"How long have you known Scout?" I felt like I needed to start a meaningful conversation.  
  
"Ever since I was a little kid. She moved into town, right next to my house. At first, her parents came into town to have a check-up on her. Scout was frail, and they decided to live in town."  
  
"What's her real name?"  
  
"........." Markham looked as if he was trying hard to remember. "...Beryl... I've called her 'Scout' ever since the first time we met, when she insisted I call her that."  
  
"Has she ever told you why?"  
  
"No. You know what, I don't think I ever want to know. It's a mystery I could live with, I guess..."  
  
"What time is it?" I noticed the sky was mellowing.  
  
"It's..." Markham pulled down his right sleeve and glimpsed at his watch. "...4:43 p.m. Early evening I guess." He had a hesitant look on his face. "What's your story?"  
  
"Not much. I was an orphan until I was about four years old. The orphanage I was at burned down to the ground... I was adopted soon after..."  
  
"Where are your parents now?"  
  
"Dead." I sounded flat and quick.  
  
Markham's eyes widened. "How's that?"  
  
"The Controller leveled the residential district and my entire family died; aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and all. Not that I really knew any of them, but after finding out the news, I realized that I was all alone in this world, like the day I was born." Markham nodded melancholically. After glancing at the Global Cortex insignia on my sleeve, he inquired...  
  
"Say, how's it like to be a Raven?"  
  
"I can't really say much. It's pretty different to all Ravens, but overall, it's pretty hard. You live day in and day out, wondering whether the next mission will make or break you. We get a lot of money, but those at the bottom barely have enough to fend for themselves. I guess it contrasts with normal life."  
  
Markham nodded in agreement. I asked...  
  
"What's being a rebel like?"  
  
He looked up into the sky and thought for a moment. "It's... not strange to me at all. I've been a rebel for five years now, so I guess I've gotten used to it. I just have to keep quiet about myself and the group around public. It can get dangerous if I don't. Also, I've been okay since I always followed orders and not question any of my superiors. So, being passive helps towards being a rebel, but I never forget about what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting for a future. A future where we could someday sit in a park and not hear gunfire off in the distance. A future where parents can raise their children without being torn or interfered by war."  
  
I never thought about it that way. I considered Markham a fortunate man. He had a cause to follow and a dream to fulfill. He had everything set in life. Me? I'm just wandering around, fighting other people's battles and not knowing what I'm truly fighting for. Drifting from battlefield to battlefield, searching for a place to belong. I considered myself blind compared to Markham. I never knew where my life would lead. Markham doesn't know either, but at least he has a clue as to where it might. But, whenever I thought about where my life was going, I thought about Iris...  
  
"When are you gonna start going back?" He finally asked, but I wasn't so sure myself.  
  
I was already halfway to Wyndon City, so... "I'll start leaving soon, I think. It shouldn't be too far with an AC. What about you?"  
  
"I called up the base before you came out, so they should pick us up soon."  
  
"Markham?" He turned around and immediately rushed to an awakened Scout, who had puzzled expression on her face. Her arm had completely healed, but her sleeve was still a little charred. Markham helped her to the fire, where he took off his coat and lent it to her. I smiled, glad that they were together again. I departed silently, but stopped as soon as Scout spoke to me.  
  
"Are you gonna be alright? By yourself?" She and Markham both turned to me.  
  
I looked at the ground and held my head up to the stars. I sighed. "Yeah... I'll be fine..." I glanced at Xanthippius, who patiently knelt on the littered pavement.  
  
"Looks like it's just you and me again." I whispered to myself as I started up the computer. "Iris... I'm finally coming back..."  
  
Markham and Scout waved farewell as I chased the eastern wind. 


	39. Synergy

Black Feather: Episode XXXIX  
  
"Synergy"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base GCWC-SB/02  
  
10:20 p.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
"Your mission is to intercept Sphere's newly developed Mobile Supremacy War Engine. We have reason to believe that it is heading to Iosden County, south of Wyndon City, where old century records of The Controller are held. Several Ravens have been hired for this mission, so we're leaving you with a substantial extra fund. Choose your consorts carefully, as this is a mission we cannot fail. Once you're prepared, a high-speed transport will be waiting for you."  
  
I signed the contract with eager strokes. Sphere had gone too far, and taking down their most prized weapon would surely lower their spirits. Rose was present, sitting to my left and her new friend, Egret, to her left. I handed the contract back, tapping the pen flat on the polished wooden table. Reuer Hillard, Union's mission director, personally came to ask me to participate in this crucial mission, most probably due to my Raven rank. A generous 50,000c were included as my rest of funds. Rose whispered to her new friend and he nodded in reply.  
  
"I apologize for not being able to see you off, but important matters await. Good luck." Reuer bowed deeply, which I returned cordially. His associates followed him out of the conference room.  
  
"Need any help?" Rose got up with me. Egret seemed nervous, striking his fingers rhythmically against the table surface.  
  
"Thanks. I'll call on Legionnaire also." I called him up by cell phone, but he was asleep. It was 10:23 p.m., and a lot of the Ravens were in slumber. "He's asleep. I don't think the others are awake either..."  
  
"Just us then." Egret nodded, getting up last and fitting his gloves on. I noticed his hands were tremulous.  
  
"Iris, think we can pull this off?" Rose glanced about the room.  
  
"There'll be other Ravens fighting alongside us, so there shouldn't be much to worry about, right?" I tried to sound confident, but the 200,000c reward did cast a shadow of a doubt. Missions are pricey for a reason.  
  
"Are we ready?" Rose inquired in the quiet hallway.  
  
"Not yet." Egret bought a soda from the adjoining lobby and chugged it all down at once. He withdrew the can, shook his head wildly about, crushed the can, and slammed it into a garbage can. "Now I'm ready."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Ringing... ringing...? Damn phone... I snatched it with irritability.  
  
"WHAT!?" I hated night calls. That's why I turn mine off whenever I go to sleep, but this one belonged to the hotel.  
  
"Qastor, it's Lucifer." I twitched at the sudden strike of his voice.  
  
"Good cheese, man! How did you reach me!?" I sat up.  
  
"Nevermind that. I need you to do something for us again."  
  
"I did my job. Now, leave me alone. I have to sleep, you got that?"  
  
"It's Sphere. They're headed through Wyndon City." Sphere... I gripped the phone tightly... And Wyndon City! If I don't do this, Iris might be in trouble... "Qastor?"  
  
"*sigh*... Tch, fine... Yeah... I'll do it." I felt like a puppet in a great, ominous world of scheme-weavers. I was fully convinced someone out there is pulling me into a scheme I never want to be a part of.  
  
"Good. I need you to get to Zunix Point just outside of the town you're in. A transport's waiting for you there. Infiltrate and attack Sphere's Mobile Supremacy War Engine. My forces will arrive shortly, so hang on until then."  
  
"Whatever..." I was scrambling out of bed and getting my things ready while the wireless phone was clamped between my left shoulder and ear. "The war engine thing, what's it look like?"  
  
"You'll know when you see it, trust me."  
  
"And infiltrate it?"  
  
"We're working on it right now. Just get there and we'll guide you through."  
  
"Alright, I'm on my way."  
  
"Qastor."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're our only frontline. Don't screw this one up."  
  
"Whatever you say, boss..."  
  
"I'll probably meet you later."  
  
"What? Wa-" The dial tone moaned. I slammed the phone back on the dresser. Jacket put on, wallet in my pocket, keys grabbed, the door closed shut as I bolted out.  
  
I quickly checked out of the hotel and sprinted to the nearby civilian MT hangar, where my AC was stored in their largest warehouse, since there weren't any hangars that could accommodate an AC. I breezed past the check- in point and climbed into Xanthippius.  
  
"Main system. Engaging normal mode."  
  
"Alright, let's get outta here..." My AC jogged out of the warehouse. I leapt into the air and overboosted towards the Zunix Point. A thunderous boom jarred the town, but I was out of sight before anyone caught me.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Iris, look..." Rose pointed out the window. Other high-speed transports were visible and closely knit together. A few fighter planes and helicopters rose from beneath us. Their job was to defend the transports until all of the Ravens were deployed.  
  
"Transports 00-05 are present. All vanguard units are in position. Sphere Mobile Supremacy War Engine is visible."  
  
I unlatched my seat belt and walked to the pilot's cabin. It was dark inside, where the only source of light was the web of glowing buttons, gauges, monitors, and switches. The two pilots stared in consternation at the Mobile Supremacy War Engine (MSWE). The war engine was a ponderous shadow in the night horizon. Red, beeping dots studded its exterior. As we approached closer, it became more and more gargantuan, until its size shook out very beings. It had a long, massive hull, with a flat, circular surface at its back, resembling a landing platform, guarded by several turrets, and four unwieldy cannon barrels with a light stirring from within. It was a rough estimate, but the monstrosity could have easily housed an entire city, with plenty more room to spare. From its back sprouted a multitude of sky scraping spikes, which rotated around a central axis, an evil bouquet of catastrophe. Deliberately, the MSWE shifted towards us high above the plains.  
  
"Good... man... How could such a monster exist...?" The auxiliary pilot wondered, the other snapped out of it. He turned to me.  
  
"Ms. Iris, we're almost there. Please gather your comrades and get in your ACs." I nodded in reply and walked out nervously. I stopped a little when... "And Ms. Iris... We wish you the best of luck. Millions of lives rests on your shoulders." I looked down on the floor. I rose my head again and ran to the hangar. The pilot cabin hatch whispered to a close. Rose and Egret got up when I blurred past.  
  
"Iris, where are you go-"  
  
"It's time!!"  
  
I heard their rapid footsteps in response.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Get in! Hurry!!"  
  
I walked backwards into the high-speed transport. Mechanical stalls held down my AC as the transport lifted off.  
  
"Stay in your AC. We'll get there soon." The transport jolted. The metallic equipment around me clamored and I lurched forward from the sudden change in force. I felt my blood rushing to the front of my body, my eyes felt full and my fingers were pink-red under my gloves. I looked at my altimeter. Altitude was increasing rapidly. The pilot was kind enough to put a view-screen of my target. It was a gigantic titan of a machine in the sky. Its dark silhouette blocked off the stars, while tiny red, beeping eyes leered on. Late clouds receded and exposed the moon. The MSWE's immaculate, smooth armor shimmered in lunar essence.  
  
Explosions and artillery fire popped in front of the war engine. I contacted Lucifer.  
  
"Boss... We have company..."  
  
"I know. Union has launched an interception campaign, including several of the best Ravens. But, even I don't think that's enough to take it out, much less hinder it, if they're going to launch a full-frontal attack."  
  
"Then why are you sending me?"  
  
"You're an Omnis. You're taking this thing out from within, so don't blow this chance." With that, the connection dropped. Another connection opened.  
  
"This is Garnet. Do you copy?" It was somewhat weird hearing her voice again.  
  
"Yeah, this is Qastor."  
  
"Our forces will arrive shortly. Just get into the MSWE and destroy its generators. Once that is done, the MSWE should be vulnerable to a full- scale assault. We're cooperating with Union in this effort. Please make the best use of their forces."  
  
"I hope I will. What about you?"  
  
"I'll be arriving with Lucifer, Diana, and my sisters as soon as possible."  
  
"I'll see you then."  
  
The mechanical manacles released their hold of Xanthippius and the hatch lowered. Next thing I knew, I was descending in the moon-chilled wind.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Transport 02 is down!! Emergency deployment of ACs initiated!!" The operator tragically informed us.  
  
"Iris."  
  
"Yes, Egret?"  
  
"Think we could finish this thing off now?" I was silent in response. "Let's hope you're wrong..."  
  
"Target area detected. Deploying ACs."  
  
Mission: Destroy Massive Weapon  
  
Operation Name: Gembaku  
  
Client: Union  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 200,000c  
  
Requesting Figure: Reuer Hillard  
  
Opponent: Sphere  
  
Enemy Forces: Unknown  
  
Time: 10:46 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: Ytoell Prairie  
  
I landed on the circular surface of the war engine. There were fourteen turrets, two of which were down and smoldering. A cannon shell barely missed my right arm. I fired three rockets at the nearest turret, all of which hit home. The turret exploded when another ACs laser cannon fired. I strafe boosted to the right closer to the center of the circle, allowing more room for maneuverability. I stopped when one of the helicopters crashed and caught on fire. Egret mowed down another turret with his quartet cannon and Rose, with the help of another Raven, was busy with another. Several panels on the floor blasted open. A mass of miniature MTs bursted from the holes. Rose turned around and dispersed a section of them with her shotgun and spread howitzer. Seven other ACs defended themselves against the scores of enemies, while another twelve were busy attacking the turrets and airborne MTs. I boosted away from the MTs and found myself next to a turret. I leapt up and charged in with my blade. A thick haze of flames ensued from the gash. A transmission... It was Egret.  
  
"Iris, the giant cannons are activating. You have to find a way to take them out of commission! It's aiming for Wyndon City! I'm sorry I can't help you right now..." I looked up.  
  
Looming above were the four enormous cannons, which made ACs look like people compared to a skyscraper. Stars were being swallowed and regurgitated by the cannons silhouettes, slowly aiming for Wyndon City.  
  
A quaking groan of machinery shook the constellations...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Qastor, there's a corridor in a large niche in the northwest terrace below you. You should be able to break in from there. Find the generator plant deep inside the war engine and put it out of commission!" Garnet guided me as I fell from the transport. I landed on a terrace below a large flat circular surface and spotted the large corridor immediately. I sliced it in half with my laserblade and discovered a drafty tunnel within.  
  
"Qastor, I've acquired a map of the entire interior from our hackers. Follow my directions and you should arrive there in no time."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"Follow the tunnel until you see the first door on your left..."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
The cannons hummed with more intensity than ever. I had followed the hole from which the MTs had originated and allowed my instincts to take over. I made it to the circuitry alcove of the cannons. I drew my laserblade, but slashed the wrong circuit.  
  
"Aaaaaahhhh!!" It was... Rose?  
  
"Rose!? What's wrong!?"  
  
"Iris, one of the cannons... It's going crazy!!----" A deafening boom dropped the connection. That circuit I destroyed had overloaded one of the cannons and must've exploded. Four switches in the far corner caught my eye.  
  
"Switch released. Deactivating cannons." I sighed in relief.  
  
"Egret, are you there?"  
  
"Yeah, be quick about it! I'm busy... damn..."  
  
"Can you give me a damage report?"  
  
"Aarrgh... Let's see: Three Ravens are out of commission from the explosion... and that blast from the exploding cannon just disintegrated a mountain... that's all." I didn't know what to feel...  
  
A transmission came through. "Iris, a rebel group is cooperating with us. Since you're inside, I need you to assist a Raven in shutting down the MSWE's generators. Their hackers have uploaded a map from Sphere. I'll tell you where to go, but you'll have to be quick." It was Reuer. I didn't know he'd personally participate in the mission.  
  
"What's the Raven's name?"  
  
"We don't know at this time. Just get there as fast as you can!"  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Qastor, it's just up ahead. There are ten generators, five on each side of the wall. Once you destroy them, get out before the MSWE collapses!"  
  
"I will-" The generator room was expansive and hot. The generators themselves were octagonal skyscraping towers, with lines of lights waxing and waning as they hummed. But, it was what was waiting for me in the center of the room that caught my attention.  
  
"Yes, you must be the 'Raven'..."  
  
"Who are you!?"  
  
"I'm known as Kenneth Gregson."  
  
"You're the one... that bald guy with the mission for me from before!"  
  
"Hahahahah... You..." His titan MT, pointed a finger at me. "You have hindered our plans for much too long. Your very EXISTENCE is a threat to Sphere..." His MT resembled a heavyweight AC in appearance, but not in size. It boasted weight and size over any AC. In both of his hands, he held a long cannon resembling the Karasawa rifle. Attached on its back were massive twin, cylindrical missile bay towers. "Behold! The perfect fusion between man and machine!!"  
  
The titan MT dashed forward with incredible agility towards me. I charged in with a blade attack, but Gregson leapt up with humanoid suave. I instinctively strafed boosted to the right, gradually turning as I went. I looked up and Gregson plunged towards me, striking my left shoulder with his cannon as he landed. I countered with firing my rifle at point blank range while starting to boost back, but the bullet glanced off his impregnable armor. Gregson knocked my rifle off to the side, nearly sending it flying from my hand as I retreated. He aimed his cannon, releasing a dense, swarthy ray of energy. I strafe boosted to the right again, but was struck down when the energy ray landed on and exploded one of the generators.  
  
An alarm sounded. Gregson didn't seem to care about the generator. My left arm was temporarily off-line from the recent strike. I activated my chain gun and fired wildly at the titan, not worrying about aim since he was just a big target. Most of the bullets bounced off while some lodged themselves in the thick armor. I switched on my Stealth extensions and twisted the controls to get back on my feet.  
  
"AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Gregson guffawed as he charged up another shot. I boosted backwards, swerving to and fro as a barrage of death waves shrieked from his cannon. Two of them incinerated my Stealth extensions, and all the generators of the right wall erupted into hollering flames. I feather boosted in the air as to not be knocked over again by the force of the vibrations. There were only four more generators. I suddenly remembered my mission here. I turned away from Gregson and finished off the last four with my grenades, keeping my distance from the blast radius of the generators. Gregson stood in the center of the room again. I found myself perfectly parallel to the walls and facing the culprit.  
  
"WARNING: GENERATOR ANOMALY DETECTED. LOCKING ALL CORRIDORS. ACTIVATING COUNTDOWN TO SELF-DESTRUCTION. Ten..."  
  
"Hahahahhahah..." Gregson chuckled quietly to himself as the missile bays activated.  
  
"Nine..."  
  
Two towers of launchers rose from the bays. The shutters detached themselves and clicked on the floor, revealing a hive of missiles. They peeped from the launch holes.  
  
An immense web of missiles scattered from the bays.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Iris, the generators are destroyed, but the rebel leader requests that you find the Raven. He's in the last door to your right." Reuer sounded relieved at crippling the war engine. A prodigious shock jarred the entire place. Burning, the thick metal door blasted open, followed by a swirl of flames. I balanced myself and proceeded.  
  
"Five..." A muffled PA voice whispered.  
  
I stopped in front of the corridor. A familiar AC knelt on the ground, both of its arms were charred and dismembered. Half of the head was completely blown off and its armor was damaged beyond repair. I noticed the emblem on its remaining left shoulder.  
  
"Four..."  
  
"Qastor... Is that you!?" I jumped with surprise.  
  
"Iris!? IRIS!! Get out of here NOW!!! The place is about to..." His voice was overshadowed by the PA.  
  
"Three..."  
  
"I'm not leaving without you!!" I boosted towards Qastor and noticed a giant, humanoid MT cackling in the center of the room.  
  
"Iris, please get OUT of here now!! Forget about me!!"  
  
"This is it..." The MT pilot mused himself. It pointed a large cannon at me.  
  
"Two..."  
  
"Qastor..." My heart thumped faster and faster. I couldn't think.  
  
"One..."  
  
"IRRIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!" 


	40. Four Pale Horsemen

Black Feather: Episode XXXX  
  
"Four Pale Horsemen"  
  
Ytoell Prairie  
  
11:00 p.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
I was prepared to die again... My body trembled and the heat of the generator room made my sweat steam. Iris... Somehow, I must...  
  
Nothing happened... Total silence...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Did Qastor get out yet?"  
  
"Negative. If he doesn't then..." Garnet stopped her sentence when I stood up from the chair. "Where are you going? We've done all we can..."  
  
"No, we haven't. There's still 'that,' right?" I proceeded to the hangar with brisk strides, leaving the command bridge closing behind me. "Helmsman, take the controls."  
  
"Lucifer!" She gave up and turned away. I heard her sigh.  
  
I had to hurry fast. Silgerd, Laevaentteinn's flagship, was moving away from the MSWE, so every second counts. Grenadier waited for me...  
  
"Open the hatch." I ordered the helmsman as I started up the main system. I noticed the Logic Drive was active and ready. The stalls released their hold and I leapt out into the night. I activated the Logic Drive.  
  
The transformation occurred silently and I activated the overboosters, diving towards the doomed war engine. My dual machine grenade rifles clamored on the thigh clips.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Rose, get in quick!! The who thing'll blow up!!"  
  
"But, Iris is still..."  
  
"She's deep inside! I doubt she'll make it out in time!! Now, just get in the transport!"  
  
"Egret... I'm not leaving until I find Iris. If you're going, then go..." I dashed away. The transport hatch closed and so did my chance of getting out of here alive.  
  
"Rose... You're making a big mistake... Rose!!!" I could sense Egret slamming his controls with his fists. The transport sped away, and I proceeded without looking back.  
  
The surface quaked and a sudden clash of metal screamed to the moon. I glanced at the ground beneath me, which collapsed rapidly. A large hole engulfed me as I slipped and plunged. I landed on a large dent in the metal floor of an interior level. Something flashed on the status screen.  
  
"Logic Drive active. Awaiting total activation." There was a contact- button on the screen. A force of will drove me to press it. A flash ensued, but subsided before I could cover my eyes...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Qastor!? Qastor!!!" He was nowhere to be found. My Logic Drive was running out of time. I switched it off and turned it back on to reset the timer. I activated the Logic Drive Condenser to stop "time." Sparks from adjacent circuit lines in the ceiling hung still like a fireworks photo.  
  
Nowhere... The generator room was frozen like it should be, but no sign of Qastor anywhere. There was a towering MT in the center of the room. Its body motion suggests that it was struck by some kind of percussion clash. Its waist was disconnected from the legs and small sprays of flames and black blue energy protruded like a frozen flower. Similar bulbs of explosions and flames littered the room. Flying debris hung in suspended animation in the air. This place was beginning to blow up. I realized that my condenser field was running out, so I bolted away.  
  
"Aahh!" A girl...? There was another AC that stopped at the sight of me. Pinkish-white luminescence emanated from its armor. Long, sharp side- skirts scraped against the floor, while four straight, narrow wings fluttered against the frozen air. An Anima...  
  
I reacted by initiating my overboosters and charging straight for her. We clashed and I held her tight as I thundered through several layers of metal unharmed. The condenser field returned to normal and the tunnels jarred violently. I looked behind. A stampede of flames pursued. Other explosions popped up in my face.  
  
The night sky opened up. After boosting for a few seconds, I released the AC, which instantly floated in the air. I turned rapidly and watched the MSWE as it was being devoured by obscuring shrouds of flame. An enormous explosion tore the hull away from the entire body, dropping and stabbing the earth beneath it. Waves of hills rippled outward from the impact, shifting the very terrain itself.  
  
"Who... Who are you!?" I finally had a good look at her. A shower of cherry blossoms pranced and swirled about her Anima AC.  
  
"I am Lucifer. Prepare yourself, as the true war engine shall reveal itself." I unlatched my dual grenade rifles.  
  
Large chunks of the war engine disconnected, dropping and littering the plains below. The weapon finally unveiled itself as it crumbled away altogether.  
  
It was a huge statue of some sort. Four horsemen sculptures circling each other, their hands were wide open, forming a circle, with a sphere of black energy laughing in the center. The bouquet of spikes from the MSWE detached themselves and formed a ring around the statue, a flower of doomsday. It now towered over us, two and a half miles in height.  
  
The Four Pale Horsemen...  
  
"Apocalypse..." This is going to be one hell of a fight... 


	41. Megido

Black Feather: Episode XXXXI  
  
"Megido"  
  
Ytoell Prairie  
  
11:12 p.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
A shroud of plasmatic mist stormed throughout the ominous orb of the statue.  
  
I noticed a congregation of cherry blossom-like petals circling me.  
  
"Get out of the way!! It'll fire!!" I strafed to my right as a blinding spray of beams blasted forth, the cherry blossoms trailing my movements. Lucifer ducked and ascended, firing rapid grenade shells, all of which were deflected by an invisible force field shielding the front of the statue. "What are you doing!? Fight back! Use the Extra-Orbital Cannons!! Megido won't wait for you!!"  
  
"H-how!?" The cockpit was different. It was more like a small room than it was a cockpit. I was now floating inside without gravity. Cybernetic gloves were installed on my hands, and I realized that every move I made inside, my AC did. The AC's mobility actions were controlled by a neuron- detection screen behind me, so if I want to boost or overboost, descend or ascend, all I have to do was think about it and my AC reacted accordingly.  
  
"Just fight!!" I responded by thinking about attacking with my orbiting cherry-blossoms. They all stopped, faced Megido, the Four Horsemen statue, and fired thirty-six white swords of energy. Gigantic ripples reverberated throughout the force field as the energy shots collided. I boosted back, keeping my distance. The ripples disappeared. A pillar of light screamed its way toward Lucifer. I immediately fired my Extra-Orbitals again. A few beams hit their mark, but the rest were nullified by the revived shield. Lucifer unloaded a barrage of grenade shots at the pillar of light, barely holding it back. He descended and allowed the pillar to pass above him.  
  
Suddenly, Megido rushed directly at us. I retreated back, but Lucifer was too slow. The force field caught him.  
  
"Aaaaarrrrrrraaaaaaaghhhhhh!!!" Lucifer was trapped in the advancing field. Rays of light stretched from the contact point and exploded. I repeatedly fired the Extra-Orbitals and my dual pistols, hoping to break through the shield, but my efforts were in vain. Ripples echoed throughout the shield in response to the shots, but disappeared again. From the explosion, Lucifer fell, a trail of smoke and flames paving his downward path. He immediately regained control, gray steam rose from the crevices of his AC. Five of the lengthy spikes from the ring vertically surrounding Megido swung down on me. I zigzagged in the air, but one struck me hard on my left shoulder. Sparks scattered as I whirled out of control, and the next thing I knew, another pillar of light flashed right in my face. The HUD illumined with a blinding emanation as my AC quaked insanely about. An excruciating shock of pain shrilled in my torso. The spikes abruptly returned to their original positions and the shield resurrected. I heard Lucifer's voice...  
  
"Damnit, stabilize yourself!! It's coming!!"  
  
I was losing consciousness from the pain of the blast, falling down. down. I looked at my HUD with fading eyes, only to find Megido charging right at me. It swiveled abruptly, catching me in its force field. My AC jerked again, the HUD sizzling and burning. This time, the pain scattered all around me. I was completely immobilized, as I could my body wasn't responding... I passed out immediately... falling... until...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
I had to think quickly. That Anima girl was in trouble, but my systems haven't recovered from the shock yet. My body tingled from the waves of pain from Megido's exploding shield. I was helpless. Without knowing it, I rushed right towards Megido, despite my ebbing AC.  
  
"Lucifer, get out of the way!!" I noticed it was Qastor's voice after I instinctively veered out of his way. His AC thundered past, four orbital linear cannons trailing behind him closely.  
  
"Qastor!! NO!!!" He was flying straight for Megido. An intense vibration in the air collided with my AC as he clashed with the shield, his dual, black-blue laserblades struggling to pierce it. The force field screamed. Massive swirls and ripples of electricity and plasma from the contact point gleamed and danced like a million stars. Intense waves of noise like that of crushing metal howled outward. The force field went berserk, extending its circumference, and carving a 50 mile long scorched line in the earth as it touched down on the ground. I turned my attention to the girl. Her AC was being supported by another Anima AC. My systems recovered, I dashed in to help Qastor, but before I could do so, the force field glimmered an ungodly white. I squinted and witnessed the force field shatter into shards like that glass. A nova ensued...  
  
  
  
I withdrew my arms from my eyes. The HUD recovered. Right beside me was Qastor, whose AC was slightly glowing red from heat, and the two Anima ACs, the recently damaged one now functional. I turned to Megido again.  
  
Its shield proved fallible. An expansive, gloomy, smoldering crater resulted from the nova. Megido floated above the center of it.  
  
In an abrupt set of motions, Megido's spikes danced outward and stabbed the crater, creating a perfectly aligned circle. Poles of energy elongated from the spikes, piercing the ocean of stars above. The Four Horsemen statue began to move, each the size of an AC. They separated from each other. The ground beneath us quaked violently; the crater was bombarded with lightning bolts from the clear night sky. Boulders and rocks of all sizes broke away and floated upward from the crater. The Four Horsemen shimmered an astounding white. I noticed their white silhouettes shifting. The glow subsided, and they were now decked out with gleaming armor and melee weapons.  
  
I turned my HUD to back view. I saw another...  
  
Rey Vyn watched from the far mountains. 


	42. Where I Belong

Black Feather: Episode XXXXII  
  
"Where I Belong"  
  
Ytoell Prairie  
  
11:20 p.m., 03/21  
  
  
  
The tetrad had expected a long, bloody battle, but was instead, rescinded. The Four Horsemen disappeared from sight, relocating themselves to the four corners of the world.  
  
More relieved than he is worried about them, Qastor's shoulders relaxed, knowing he could live another day.  
  
"I've contacted my transport. I'll escort you all to Wyndon City, but we must land first." Lucifer descended first, while the others did so similarly.  
  
He realized his Logic Drive timer was running out. Qastor and the others quickly landed at the edge of the crater. Lucifer's transport arrived presently.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor found Iris running into his arms shortly after departing his cockpit. They stood there, silently embracing. With the exception of the couple, the transport hangar was empty of people. The transport hummed in flight...  
  
"I missed you so much..." Iris dug her face in Qastor's shoulder. He responded by stroking her hair. Inside, the on-going battle between love and isolation raged, welling up a spectrum of emotions in his heart... He almost choked from it, but successfully hid it from Iris...  
  
They held each other for the entire trip back.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Rose, tired and aching, strolled back to her dormitory. She passed by the lobby, turning back when she realized someone was in there. A pile of crushed, empty soda cans sat lazily and intrusively by the vending machine. She entered cautiously, despite her sleepiness. Egret was found sitting stolid, a table decorated with soda cans caught her eyes.  
  
"You're back... and alive."  
  
"Yeah... I guess I am." Rose gave a slight, airy laugh, but stopped when she noticed Egret replied with tense stagnance. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't listen, ok? I just couldn't leave Iris behind-"  
  
"I was really worried about you, you know that? You shouldn't just..." Egret held a cupped palm to his yawning mouth. "...throw your life away like a soda can... ya know?" He folded his arms on the table, eventually wiping off some of the soda cans that littered it and digging his face in his arms. Rose came up and sat beside him. She patted his shoulder.  
  
"I do know. Iris and I are childhood friends, okay? We look out for each other..."  
  
"Yeah, well, I never had any childhood friends, so why even bother telling me?" His voice muffled against his arm.  
  
"...I was just saying, she's really important to me."  
  
"Would you have done the same for me...?" Slight sorrow traced his words. Rose's best answer was silence. Egret hiccuped. "Ah, don't worry. Just know me for a few more days and I know you'll like me enough to do so..." All that soda finally got to him. Rose waited for the right time.  
  
"Come on. Let's get you back to bed. There'll be a ruckus if someone catches you sleeping here." Egret slowly pulled himself up, striking some more of the cans off the table. They both quietly wandered back, through cloistered hallways in the night air and wide enclosed aisles. Rose gazed at the reflecting luster of the marble and metallic floor, while Egret felt terrible slushes inside his tummy...  
  
After tucking him to bed, Rose turned off the lights and stood at the doorway. She looked at him, sleeping soundly, despite the gallons of soda in his stomach.  
  
Rose walked away. The door shut behind her.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Lucifer dropped himself into bed. He folded his arms and placed his hands behind his head. It had been a long, strenuous day. He stared at the black ceiling, his eyes shutting and opening, trying to find sleep. He unlatched his sword and placed it hidden under the bed on a rack. Automatic straps held the sword down. He took off his head circlet and deliberately placed it on the adjoining stand. The door beeped.  
  
"What is it?" His tone was professional again.  
  
"It's Garnet." Strange emotions stirred in him when he heard her voice.  
  
"Come in." Splitting open, the door revealed Garnet, as she walked through the dark quarters and sat in a chair next to the bed. "What?" A frosty rime was in his voice.  
  
"Lucifer, we need to stop this."  
  
"Stop what?" Lucifer turned his head away.  
  
"We can't go on like this. We've been avoiding each other for too long." Garnet went straight to the point to get his attention.  
  
"Who said anything about avoiding?"  
  
"Why can't things be the way they were before?"  
  
"Because people change... and situations also." Lucifer purposefully sounded flat.  
  
"You're too caught up in Sphere."  
  
"If I don't take them down, who will?" Garnet's lips didn't move. Lucifer closed his eyes.  
  
"Why can't we love each other again?" Her words were longing. He opened his eyes again.  
  
They exchanged gazes.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor and Iris relished in the nigh-midnight sky together. They sat close on the dormitory roof. The central headquarters illuminated with gentle hues. Iris rested her head on his shoulder, while he held her close, ignoring the ferocious battles of emotion tearing him apart.  
  
"The stars... they're nice..." Iris whispered. They both quietly chuckled. "Where have you been all this time?"  
  
"Aw, you know... Here and there... Not much." Qastor didn't want to ruin the moment by telling her he died. He didn't want to tell her that he endured electrical torture and interrogation, that he was coming closer and closer to finding out who he really is, that he finally found a place where he can belong...  
  
Her heart... 


	43. Qain's Aurora

Black Feather: Episode XXXXIII  
  
"Qain's Aurora"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Western Dormitory Branch GCWC-WD/S-05  
  
9:51 a.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
...It's the truth...  
  
[...What?]  
  
...The real Qastor died one year ago...  
  
[...How could that be...?]  
  
...There are only a limited number of possibilities in this world... However, with Omnis/Anima, there is no limit...  
  
[...What are you saying...?]  
  
...Perhaps Omnis/Anima had something to do with this...?  
  
[...That's nonsense...]  
  
...That's what you think, but one thing's for sure... Whatever, or whoever brought you back, or brought you here, needed a savior badly...  
  
[...Your point...?]  
  
...It looks like you're the link between destiny and humankind... FATE has created a niche especially for you in its immense hall of life and history... If you're gone, then who will take your place...?  
  
[...There are plenty of Ravens out there better than I am...]  
  
...That may be true, but how many of them possess Omnis? How many of them are willing to sacrifice themselves for the continuation of life?  
  
[...]  
  
...That's right...  
  
[...You still haven't told me who you are...]  
  
...All in good time, Qastor. You must realize, that everything in this world has its own time... I'll show you another...  
  
[...Not again...]  
  
"...Qastor...?"  
  
"...Uurrgh...?"  
  
"What are you doing here...?"  
  
[...What in the world...?]  
  
"You shouldn't be sitting on the sidewalk out here this late..."  
  
"...Uagh..."  
  
"Are you alright...?"  
  
[...I... I sort of remember... I never knew how I ended up there... sitting on the sidewalk... under a flickering street light... out in the dark, empty street... Iris had spotted me from her car... I guess she just got back from grocery shopping...]  
  
"Let's get back to base, Qastor..."  
  
[...Iris... She helped me into her car... I didn't know what I was feeling then... It was as if I was... an infant...]  
  
"Be careful... you don't look so well... There..."  
  
[...She... she helped me get into bed... I felt horrible, since a massive amount of information streamed into my brain... My head ached and throbbed... I... These... memories...? Iris took the chair from the desk and sat by my side for the rest of the night... She must've fallen asleep, but I... I didn't... I was being tortured by memories... memories of pain and anguish... lonely memories... I felt like screaming aloud, but something held me back from awakening Iris... It was almost morning when I dozed off... And when I awoke... I was... myself again...]  
  
...No... you weren't drunk or anything like that... You were an empty vessel... waiting to be filled with a soul... That night... in bed... you were granted one... one that was... already used...  
  
[...What's this feeling...?]  
  
...You're waking up...  
  
[...If you're right, then how come this is the first time I've felt like this...?]  
  
...Perhaps this must be the first time you're aware of your sub- consciousness... But, if that's so, then... You're getting closer to the truth each time you come here...  
  
[...The... truth...?]  
  
...Yes... the truth... who you really are... Are you really Qastor...? Are you really the one who met Iris two years ago in that cherry blossom garden...? Were you the one who heard the shrine bells strike in the high winds of the hill...? Were you the one who died with the feathers of heaven and hell in your dead hand...? Are you...  
  
...the one Iris fell in love with...?  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Title: Mission Request Sender: Lucifer  
  
"After stealing vital data from one of Sphere's labs, we've obtained schematics of their new main fortress. From the looks of it, it is a floating city high above Jormungand Landing. We plan to attack tonight, as a strategy has already been conceived. I am asking you, as a client, to participate in this crucial operation. Your presence will increase our chances of succeeding in finally putting Sphere out of the corporate war indefinitely. I've prepared a substantial reward in compensation for your participation. Please check your mission queue."  
  
"P.S.: Your AC part should arrive today. It is a prototype tri-barrel rifle, newly developed by Kisaragi. Also, I won't be able to hold a contract conference personally, so an electronic contract will be available upon accepting the mission."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Qastor checked his mission queue, only to find one mission available. He skipped the briefing and immediately accepted the contract. A fair transfer of credits was added to his rest of funds. He decided to recruit Iris and Rose for the mission.  
  
"What am I doing...?" He despised working with Lucifer, but as a Raven, he had no choice...  
  
He closed his laptop and leaned back on his chair. His bed was unmade, its sheets in wrinkled disarray and the flaccid blanket lie folded upon itself. Qastor strolled over to the window, waving the curtains away, and lifting the light shutters. He relished in the fresh breeze, allowing it to stroke through his hair. His new dormitory overlooked the courtyard, with an immaculate fountain in the center and spring-stout trees conversing in the brilliance of the sun. His stomach growled. Qastor grinned and was just about to shut the window when he spotted Iris and Rose strolling down an open hallway. Figuring that he'd need to talk to them about the mission, he'd have breakfast with them. He lightly pushed the shutter down and left the curtains to welcome sunlight into the room.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"...I just accepted a mission from Lucifer, and I was wondering if you two could be my consorts?" Qastor blurted the request after gulping down the last of his cereal oats. He drew a slip of gum from his pocket and proceeded to chew it.  
  
"Isn't Lucifer that guy from..." Rose wanted to make sure.  
  
"Yeah. That's him."  
  
"I dunno... Depends on how much I get paid..." Rose jested and said she'd be happy to accompany him. Qastor turned to Iris, who replied with an affirming smile. He tossed the disposable bowl in a nearby trash container, gave Iris a quick cheek kiss, and rushed to the transport area to greet his new AC part.  
  
Iris looked on while Qastor when went about his way, while Rose looked at Iris in a funny way.  
  
"When did you two..."  
  
"Two nights ago..." Rose nodded in affirmation, with a hint of jocosity. Iris eyes wandered to the skies. It's felt like a long time since things returned to normal. But, in fact, they weren't. Malirant's whereabouts and Sphere's next move itched at the back of Iris' mind, not to mention where and what the so-called Rey Vyn will do next. Nevertheless, Iris turned back to Rose and inquired if she would like to go shopping.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor, arms akimbo, looked on as his new AC part was being unloaded, as well as other cargo. Some traffic officers were guiding the descent of the part with glowing traffic bars. He noticed the pilot running toward him with a clipboard.  
  
"Sir! Are you..." The pilot glanced at the clipboard. "...Mr. Qastor?"  
  
"Is that your final answer?"  
  
"Huh? Excuse me?"  
  
"Nevermind. Lemme see it." The pilot handed Qastor the clipboard as the cargo container holding the part was detached from the pulley.  
  
KWG-3XRF-660  
  
Manufacturer: Kisaragi  
  
Type: Triple Rifle  
  
Price: 99000c  
  
Weight: 350  
  
Energy Drain: 11  
  
Weapon Lock: Wide and Shallow  
  
Attack Power: 274  
  
Ammo Heat: 161  
  
Range: 520  
  
Maximum Lock : 1  
  
Reload Time: 21  
  
Number of Ammo: 600  
  
Ammo Type: Solid  
  
Ammo Price: 34  
  
Usage Drain: -  
  
Description:  
  
"Destructive triple barrel rifle with linear shot path. Versatile, light, and compatible prototype."  
  
Qastor called up the chief mechanic, requesting that the old rifle be replaced by the new one. The container split open, revealing a sturdy, bluish-gray rifle, with three triangularly-aligned barrels at the end. A loading vehicle carried the rifle to the assembly chamber. He handed the clipboard back to the pilot and glanced about the horizon. He glanced about the area. Multiple transport planes and vehicles were being loaded and unloaded. Returning planes landed and outgoing ones lifted off. There was a line of idle worker MTs assembled in the outskirts. Far way, a structure was being built by construction MTs, cranes, cement trucks, etc. But, what caught Qastor's eye was...  
  
Streaks of slight lucent ruby settled low in the far sky. An omen...?  
  
Qastor shook his head and wiped his nose a bit, walking back to the hangar.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
That night, the bloody streaks, still present, radiated with insanity behind the mountains, pervading through the low horizon. It slightly transfixed Qastor as he made his way up into the transport. The ACs were already loaded into the on-board hangar. Thin manacles held the ACs in place. Iris and Rose had already ensconced themselves into the plane, but Qastor was still on the loading staircase, gripping the railing tightly. His heart performed a tremolo.  
  
"Qastor? Is there something wrong?" Iris peeped from the doorway. Qastor turned to Iris with a fake, jocose expression.  
  
"Nothing. Just taking in the breeze, that's all." He gave a reassuring smile and Iris returned to her seat. Qastor gave on last glimpse at the reddening wounds in the night. He staggered a little up into the passenger cabin.  
  
The plane came to life and the loading staircase was rolled away by a ground crewman. Qastor sensed acceleration. Iris comforted him by holding hands. The thought of Rey Vyn imprecated his being. He'd been very quiet lately... Too quiet...  
  
Ominous skies bleed a crimson night... 


	44. Aeschylus' Tragedy

Black Feather: Episode XXXXIV  
  
"Aeschylus' Tragedy"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base  
  
7:26 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
Lucifer gazed with tense eyes out into the black dusk, his arms folded and the twin scars streaking his eyes chattered war tactics. Qastor waited by the door. Staccato raindrops performed a tremolo upon the vibrato glass. He noticed the chair he threw aside previously a few days ago was still lying on the floor. An artery of lightning illumined the haunted conference hall. Lucifer turned and unfolded his arms, his sword scabbard scraped and clicked against the polished marble floor as he made his way to the door. Qastor started and went ahead.  
  
Lucifer's hands trembled... He witnessed the possession of his right hand as it made its way to the hilt of his sword. He seized his possessed right wrist with his left hand. His good right eye twitched, while his bad left eye strained. His right hand overpowered his left, swiftly seizing the sword and drawing it. A long scraping of metal made Qastor turn around. He leapt back, barely escaping Lucifer's swing. The cloth on his right knee had a clean cut. Fortunately, his knee did not. Lucifer's sword continued to travel until it cleft the wall to his left, leaving a deep gash in the metal wall.  
  
"Agh...! Qastor, get away or you'll get hurt!!" He found Lucifer travailing to hold his right hand at bay. Lucifer lurched himself against the right wall, purposefully injuring his right arm, but to no avail. His right arm was invulnerable.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Qastor looked out the nearest window. Demonically, the crimson luminescence in the sky roared a bloodthirsty dance macabre.  
  
"Damnit... Something... is..." Lucifer seemed to have regained some control and leaned against the wall.  
  
Taking advantage of the current situation, Qastor restrained Lucifer with all his might.  
  
"Lucifer!? Lucifer!" A female was rushing closer. Lucifer swung his head to the adjoining hallway.  
  
"Garnet!! NO!! DON'T-" It was too late. His right hand launched straight for Garnet, pulling his body with it and breaking free of Qastor's hold, who was swung away. The sword rose in the air and plunged straight down, slicing the heated air. An ensuing streak of blood stained the wall.  
  
"Aaahh... Lucif...er...?" Garnet collapsed on the floor. Lucifer regained control of his arm, which hung still, releasing the blood-tipped blade. It clamored on the floor. Drops of blood splattered near the edge of the sword. Lucifer stood, transfixed. He gasped under his breath, dropping himself to the ground and picking her up in his arms. Qastor pulled himself together and hollered for a paramedic.  
  
"Garnet..." Not daring to hurt her any further, he withdrew his right hand, supporting her with his left, but soon held her tremulous hand with it. "It's my fault... My fault!!"  
  
Qastor turned to the window once again. Once-animato, the devilish aurora had reduced to elongated, snickering embers. 


	45. One of No Words

Black Feather: Episode XXXXV  
  
"One of No Words"  
  
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base Infirmary  
  
7:57 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
"Let's go." Lucifer emerged from the infirmary with a cold, piercing, stolid visage, wiping Garnet's blood from the blade and sheathing it. He tossed the blood stained kerchief in a nearby trash container.  
  
"What!? Aren't you gonna stay here with Garnet?" Lucifer stopped, his back to Qastor.  
  
"Who said I needed to?" Qastor, having no reply ready at the moment, was silenced. "This is our one and only chance to strike Sphere where it hurts the most..." Lucifer started again and emphatically announced, "It's heart!!"  
  
"Why do you hate Sphere so much!? What drives you to do these things!?"  
  
"That's none of your damned business..." His voice was quietly truculent. "You've signed the mission contract. Are you going to back out now, Raven?" Qastor was stuck in two places of opinion. But, his obligation as a Raven left him with no other choice. Until the mission is done, he is under the authority of his client. He must do what they tell him to, otherwise, it would damage his record and possibly have his license suspended. His fists clenched.  
  
"It's not like I have a choice, do I!?" Qastor punched the wall and immediately sunk down on the bench, hunched over with his hands gripping his head. Some part of him didn't want to be a Raven anymore. He thought... "I could always give up being a Raven and not have to deal with these decisions again. But, if I do, where will I go? What will I do!? If I'm not a Raven, then what am I...? Nothing...? That's right... Nothing... No one... A nobody..."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Lucifer coldly marched his way to the hangar. A conflagration of an overwhelming, and somewhat evil determination burned in his glaring eyes. For the first time in many years, he opened his bad left eye, which boasted a ferocious crimson iris. His lacquer scabbard scraped and tapped at the floor. There was a fearful aura about him as he made his way to the hangar. Those who walked by conspicuously avoided him, for now, his presence awakened a primordial fear in those below him.  
  
"I have the power..." He thought... "...to take out Sphere with my bare hands... The menacing power of Omnis they shall soon regret to witness!!"  
  
He tossed the door open and looked up at Grenadier. His awesome willpower caused Grenadier to go into Omnis mode right in front of him. Its six grenade launchers spread themselves out in a slight crescent, slicing and gashing any metallic obstacle in its path. Lucifer smiled a wide, destructive grin. He obsequiously sprinted for the cockpit.  
  
He planned on attacking Sphere's headquarters himself.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Mission: Destroy Flying Citadel  
  
Operation Name: Nightmare  
  
Client: Laevaentteinn Rebel Faction  
  
Advance: 0c  
  
Reward: 130,000c  
  
Requesting Figure: Lucifer  
  
Opponent: Sphere  
  
Enemy Forces: Unknown  
  
Time: 8:13 p.m.  
  
Theatre of Operations: Jormungand Landing  
  
"Where's Lucifer?" Rose looked about the passenger cabin. He was nowhere to be seen. She'd been searching around the plane for half an hour, but her efforts were in vain.  
  
"He's not coming with us." Qastor had a grave expression on his face. Iris felt tense sitting next to him, but understood that something had happened betwixt him and Lucifer.  
  
"Does that mean that we..." Rose pointed at herself. "...have to do it alone?" Qastor turned to the window to his left. Illuminated by moonlight, Apocrypha, Sphere's floating headquarters, was an uprooted city. Piercing skyscrapers bundled themselves on the 'surface,' while subterranean facilities were closely knit underground.' Contrasting against the blue moonshine, explosions and shrapnels obscured the city.  
  
"No... Lucifer's helping." Qastor sounded confident. "Don't forget, there are bombers behind us. All we have to do is weaken their defenses and occupy them until the bombers arrive. When the time comes, we are to protect the bombers at all costs."  
  
The PA blipped, signaling the Ravens to board their ACs. Rose caught up with the two after watching in astonishment at Lucifer's war potential.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
The trio landed one by one near the edge of the city. Sections of the city were in ruins, littered with smoldering debris from buildings and AC/MT components. Lucifer was busy dealing with enemy forces deep inside the citadel. The trio proceeded forward, and dispersed when a triad of corporate ACs leapt from square holes in the ground.  
  
"Each of us, take one on!" Qastor charged in, as did the rest, but stopped when Lucifer entered the scene. He fired six grenades in one second directly towards Rose. She ducked immediately, and felt the trepidation of the ground as an enemy AC behind her fell victim to Lucifer's wrath. A swarm of MTs and ACs alike came out of hiding from the still-standing skyscrapers. They all plunged right down, when...  
  
"Arrggh!!" Qastor braced himself as the multitude of MTs and ACs above him erupted into a stratus of conflagrations. A symphony sounded as MT and AC limbs and parts rained down upon the group, clamoring against the metallic and cement pavement. In a swift wind, the cloud of fire and thick smoke was whisked away, swallowed by moonlight. The fallen debris of their enemies rolled along the ground, off the edge of the city, and became flotsam of the night air. Longinus, Lucifer's Omnis AC, stood still... facing 'him'... or rather, 'both.'  
  
...Floating effortlessly...  
  
...With its back...  
  
...To the enormous moon...  
  
...Was Ark Omnis...  
  
...In it, Rey Vyn...  
  
...But, under him...  
  
...The AC...  
  
...From the crater...  
  
"Qastor, my young Nevermore..." Rey Vyn's rasping, malicious voice flared up anger within Qastor. His dual laserblades, once drawn, withdrew and cooled down as Ark Omnis' arms folded in a disturbingly humane fashion. "I believe you left a dear friend of yours behind..."  
  
Qastor's eyes widened.  
  
"Malirant!!" 


	46. Colossus

Black Feather: Episode XXXXVI  
  
"Colossus"  
  
Sphere Flying Citadel Apocrypha  
  
8:24 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
"You... You're the one who injured Garnet!!!" Darkness flared up from Longinus' armor.  
  
"Hahahahahahahahahah, you must be Lucifer, the Black-Winged One..." Rey Vyn's voice was much deeper now, like a dragon's groan. "The Angel of Darkness!! The Soul Slayer of Seraphs!! The Blood Hunter of Archangels!! You are correct!! I was the one who used you like a puppet!! As the First Child of H-1, I hold authority over all!! I was created to transcend the Children of H-1 under me... Yes... My marionettes you all are... Qastor..."  
  
Qastor was forced to look up. "What do you want, Rey Vyn...?" His words were low and riddled with enmity.  
  
"Hahaha... It is not Rey Vyn anymore, my young Nevermore, but Qain!!" The silhouettes of Ark Omnis' wings flexed against the lunar disk in response to the name 'Qain'... "If you all wish to find out who you all really are, come to the Lost Field... 'He' and I will be waiting..." Ark Omnis was stolid, but 'Qain' turned to Lucifer. "Yes... Garnet... Her scream... it was... enthralling!" With that, Lucifer snapped.  
  
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" Longinus thundered straight for Rey Vyn, leaving a haze of plasma from its overboosters. All but Malirant watched Lucifer and 'Qain' disappear right before their eyes. Qastor turned his attention to Malirant, whose AC was different than he had remembered. He dashed for Malirant.  
  
"Mali-" Qastor stopped as soon as the ground quaked. Malirant's AC eyes glared; festoons and arches of snake-like emanations from its body danced like the late sun's prominence. Iris and Rose witnessed in awe as the skyscrapers and structures came to life, twisting, writhing, and melting as they were devoured by the false earth. A mountainous mouth engulfed Malirant. Blades and slips of green rays oozed from the cracks. The enveloping boulders encasing Malirant catastrophically crumbled outward, missing the trio by a hairline. Malirant's AC awoke from its ephemeral casket. He was an Omnis also...  
  
His AC was somewhat larger than a normal AC now. Twisted and grotesque spikes protruded randomly from his arm, head, core anterior, side-thighs, and knees. Two particularly grand spikes stuck out from his core and forehead. Under his core spike was a blinking jewel orb, which glimmered brilliantly against the moonlight. A rotating golden ring spun behind him, with the spikes shooting through it. Four horns curved upward from his shoulders, with electricity arching betwixt them. In his left hand was a ponderous bulwark, a thick shield of deformed and smooth, almost molten- like metal, with the impressive height of an AC. In his right hand was an earthen weapon, shaped like an elongated claw shell, stretching as far as an AC-sized lance, numerously pronged, and emanating with obsequious plasma energy.  
  
"Malirant...?" Qastor stared in wonder as Malirant trampled the earth. Abruptly, Malirant stabbed the ground with his weapon, its multitude of prongs facing the trio. Threads of energy propagated from the prongs and lunged for Rose. In a shroud of energetic distortions...  
  
"AAAA---HH---HH!!!" Her muffled cry made Qastor wince. It was too late to save her.  
  
"Rose!! No!!" Iris immediately kneeled down next to Rose. Qastor concluded that Malirant was in the control of Qain, and that he must by subdued.  
  
"Iris, take Rose back to base immediately." Iris realized the urgency of the situation. She made a transition to Anima mode, and swiftly carried Rose off, while Malirant released his weapon from the ground.  
  
Qastor never thought he'd duel Malirant like this. 


	47. Perdition

Black Feather: Episode XXXXVII  
  
"Perdition"  
  
Sphere Flying Citadel Apocrypha  
  
8:30 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
"DNA Extra-Base signal received. Logic Drive on-line."  
  
Qastor floated in the cockpit like a puppet. The HUD expanded into a panoramic view. He glimpsed around. He could feel the force the devastator cannons exerted on his back. Extraordinary power surged through both of his arms and bursted out in the form of a laserblade. The orbital linear cannons awaited his command. He could see every detail of the surroundings, although it is now just a flat metallic and cement surface, dotted with patches of bare earth. He could feel the mechanical restrictions of movement and flexibility, but quickly adapted. It seemed as if Malirant was waiting for him to do so. Malirant's AC was out of this world. The more Qastor stared at it, the less it resembled any kind of AC.  
  
"Malirant, don't do this..." Qastor was tremulous. "I'm warning you..." Malirant was resolute, perhaps entranced...  
  
Malirant made the first move, leaping high back into the sky and falling violently down. Nearly touching the ground, he charged forward, the ground beneath and behind him erupted upwards, releasing boulders and rocks into the black night. Qastor reacted and strafed quickly to the right, missing Malirant's ramming shield by a hair's width. He turned around, only to find a web of energy tails racing to his face. Qastor dashed back, barely keeping up with the tails of energy, which inched their way nearer and nearer to his core and head. He took the risk and ascended. The energy tails vertically slashed his legs as he pulled upward, releasing a pillar of sparks. Qastor activated the Logic Drive Condenser.  
  
Clouds masking the moon were motionless. Night flocks posed stolidly. No air resistance...  
  
Stopping in midair, Qastor charged in for Malirant, who was apparently frozen. Twin black-indigo blades ripped out of Nova Omnis' forearm, emanating with maniacal dark plasma and stretching far beyond its heels. Qastor was closing in...  
  
Nearer... He readied his arms...  
  
Nearer... The plasma blades intensified...  
  
Nearer... He positioned his arms...  
  
Qastor swiped with lightning fast agility, but found himself spinning out of control. His limbs flailed violently as he tried to regain control. He dived right into the ground of Apocrypha, exploding out from the opposite end and plunging down into the plains. The Logic Drive Condenser deactivated, and Qastor was pounded with immense air resistance, which only contributed to his loss of control. While trying to stabilize himself, Qastor concluded that he was spinning a murderous twenty times a second. It was too late. The grass plains screamed its way closer and closer to him, its details were becoming more and more clear, an insane spinning palette beckoning him to death.  
  
Nova Omnis collided with the ground on its back. A crushing pang surged through Qastor's body as he screamed in excruciating pain. The invisible walls of the cockpit vibrated from both his bellowing voice and the collision. Somehow, he could 'feel' what Nova was experiencing. His entire body cringed to abate the pain, but a trembling Qastor immediately attempted to regain stability. He opened his eyes, only to find Malirant diving straight down at him, a demonic mass of spikes and blades. Instinctively, Qastor broke left away just in time. Malirant closed in and stabbed the ground with his right arm monstrosity, nicking Nova's right shoulder. A sharp pain sang in Qastor's right shoulder as he rolled to the right and leap into the air. He stopped, but charged in again.  
  
Malirant, after stabilizing himself, pulled his weapon out of the ground, but was too slow. Qastor sailed in and slashed, completely disconnecting Malirant's upper shoulder and exposing the sliced circuitry. Malirant shot away before Qastor could follow up another swing. Malirant powered up his back ring, a super-advanced overbooster. He zipped along the ground, a pronged blur agitating a dust storm. Qastor leapt up far from the obscuring dust. A barrage of energy ropes revealed themselves from the dust clouds, ascending with Qastor in their sights. He twisted and zigzagged, dodging many, but those that struck sent a flurry of sparks upon contact. Qastor scanned downward and found Malirant charging for him again. He witnessed Malirant's right arm weapon morph and melt into a large blade weapon. Qastor drew his twin blades and braced for impact. Malirant's metallic blade popped from its manacles and swung wildly at Qastor, who deflected them all with his blades. Qastor went for an offensive and slashed with his right, which was nullified by Malirant's towering shield. He motioned his shield to away, getting ready to slash again, but Qastor took advantage of the opportunity. Malirant had his torso vulnerable, hence, Qastor drove his left laserblade in. A storm of shrill sparks disseminated as Nova Omnis' blade surged in Malirant's core. Qastor shook his blade and triumphantly drove it up-left, dismembering Malirant's right arm and his blade weapon. His enormous shield fell from his grasp.  
  
To Qastor, the following event happened in slow motion... Malirant, now surmounted, plunged to the hills below, his left hand dolorously reaching out to Qastor. Coming to his senses, Qastor watched in trepidation as his comrade fell. Before he could attempt to save Malirant from the impact, a pounding tumult erupted from Malirant's crash.  
  
Nova Omnis descended. 


	48. Enlightenment of Three Sages

Black Feather: Episode XXXXVIII  
  
"Enlightenment of Three Sages"  
  
???  
  
???  
  
  
  
"Where is the last Child?"  
  
"He is wandering again..."  
  
"I wonder how the Progeny had lasted this long...?"  
  
"And what of Qain?"  
  
"He has encountered some resistance from one of the Children, but not to worry."  
  
"His powers have grown inconspicuously, but not from our eyes..."  
  
"I never knew that a mere human could attain such power, much less contain it..."  
  
"Does he really think he's the Transcendent?"  
  
"I believe so, Melchior."  
  
"What a fool... And losing the true Transcendent only adds to his foolishness..."  
  
"The Harvest of December cannot activate without his determination, anyhow."  
  
"Are there no alternatives?"  
  
"The Four Pale Horsemen are unruly. They have now pervaded through the world. Reuniting them would be a work of miracle..."  
  
"God Engine ARK is deteriorating... We cannot afford to make any mistakes..."  
  
"You may think that, Balthasar, but in truth..."  
  
"Sphere... The renegade Corporation... What shall we expose to them next?"  
  
"They've already acquired the Flesh Engineering Technology. I conclude that they've learned enough. If Qain fails, we have a trump card at least."  
  
"If we can't murder the world, then we'll just have to control it... Then, persuade them to crush themselves."  
  
"A time-consuming and indirect approach... Our identities may be unveiled if we are not careful..."  
  
"Yes, but you know how naïve Sphere is... An infant Corporation..."  
  
"Raised by our hand! Any of all are mere puppets..."  
  
"In this case, what they don't know WILL hurt them..."  
  
"Ah, the Progeny/Transcendent is nearing Child Ni and Child Shichi..."  
  
"Apocrypha is not done yet, I presume?"  
  
"No, of course not, Gaspar."  
  
"What is the H-1 computer's recovery progress?"  
  
"Exactly .568%... It has reached a deadlock in recovery. We cannot depend on it any longer..."  
  
"What is 'Deus Ex Machina's' status?"  
  
"It is in stable condition... I can't believe it has a mind of its own..."  
  
"Can the power of Omnis/Anima infallibly trounce God's?"  
  
"Such power... Not even our Father can handle such insane power..."  
  
"We musn't let it fall in the hands of Sphere..."  
  
"You're correct. What they have been truly searching for is right in the core of God Engine ARK."  
  
"If they find the ARK, what will happen, you suppose?"  
  
"If they do find it, then we have no choice but to find another puppet."  
  
"Valhalla... Have they formed?"  
  
"No, not until two years..."  
  
"Ha... There is no wait, I assume? As they say, 'Eternity is but a moment to God...'"  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
ARK: ANTI-EQUILLIN REDIFILE KIBRIUM 


	49. Nevermore

Black Feather: Episode XXXXIX  
  
"Nevermore"  
  
Miphiner Glades  
  
8:43 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
"Logic Drive off-line. DNA Extra-Base signal lost."  
  
Xanthippius molded itself back to its normal form. Qastor hasn't seen Malirant in almost two weeks, but since so much happened, it felt like an eternity. As he climbed out of the cockpit hole, he began to hesitate. He realized that it was precariously peaceful. It was one of those rare moments when he could just stop and fall asleep without worrying what would happen when he woke up. Nevertheless, he pushed himself to see his comrade...  
  
Malirant's AC was still in Omnis form, resting against a steep hill. The numerous spikes blocked his way to the cockpit shutters. A derogating mechanical groan lessened to a whisper, and the Omnis AC turned completely absolute black, that no shadow could compete. Spikes writhed into the swarthy armor. All of its outlandish features melted into slumber, and Malirant was in his old AC.  
  
It was Ogre, his symbol and pride, not the depredating AC from the crater. Ogre's armor radiated with heat, its right arm still missing, and a horrendous gouge in the right torso flickered with ember and sparks. So deep was the gouge that Malirant was in plain sight, sitting hunched over, with his head down, on the cockpit seat. His sturdy hands gripped his head agonizingly. Hair stood out betwixt his fingers. A bright flash ensued as the Apocrypha crashed to the ground, an overwhelming earthquake that shook Qastor, but not Malirant.  
  
After the flash settled itself, Qastor turned to speak to Malirant. He searched for words, gripping his two gloves tightly in his sweaty left fist. As he thought, Qastor thought of home. He thought of old times with Malirant. The times when he would perform a victory jig whenever Qastor lost to him in a bowling match, the times when he would give a hearty pat in the back, and the time when Malirant was hastily rushed to the emergency care unit...  
  
"Malirant..." Qastor lessened the clench on his gloves. "...Let's go home."  
  
Malirant rose his head, not saying a word. A guilty and apologetic expression made Qastor's will sink. Malirant looked aged, more than he was almost two weeks ago. He looked thirty-five years of age, although in truth he was twenty-seven years. His usual build was deteriorating also. Qastor remembered the countless hours Malirant spent working out, but he never figured out what motivated him to do so. All he knew that Malirant would never be himself if he couldn't keep his build.  
  
"Malirant?" Qastor noticed that there was no indication of the scars on Malirant's neck, and that his attention slowly made its way to the ruins of Apocrypha. Qastor followed his gaze and witnessed the unthinkable. Far off, streaming from cracks in the base of Apocrypha, a mass of stirring movement was visible. Qastor reached for his comm-device and contacted Laevaentteinn Base.  
  
"This is Laevaentteinn Base, comm-ID matched and location verified. Is this Mr. Qastor?"  
  
"Yeah, get a transport here and fast! Bring some worker MTs too, I gotta wrecked comrade out here."  
  
"Affirmative, Mr. Qastor. Your coordinates are locked. A high-speed transport from Ascalon Citadel is on its way. It'll be there in ten minutes."  
  
"I don't have ten minutes! A damned legion of MTs is advancing my way!"  
  
"I'm sorry, but this is the best we could do. We beseech you to hang on until the-"  
  
Qastor slammed the comm-device against the gravel and grass.  
  
"Don't you worry, Malirant. I'll hold 'em off. You just stay put..." Qastor rushed to Xanthippius. "...and hope they don't get near..."  
  
Xanthippius rose, Malirant was hunched over again, resting his head between his hands. Qastor strode off into the expanse, the mass grew in detail as he neared, leaving Malirant to fend for himself with whatever he had and wait for the transport.  
  
"What am I doing? I'm sacrificing myself for my best friend, someone who I just defeated in battle... That's right... I'm going crazy aren't I..." Qastor thought, and glanced at his status screen.  
  
"Logic Drive inactive."  
  
"Yeah... I'm crazy, alright... But, if it means Malirant getting another start in life, then I'd do this a hundred times..." With that, Qastor accelerated his pace.  
  
He stopped within shooting distance of the MTs. Qastor's FCS limited his lock range, but not the trajectory range of his triple-rifle. He figured he should take out some MTs before the real encounter.  
  
"What... More than seven hundred MTs vs. one AC?" It was a hopeless battle, but Qastor concluded that it was better to try than not try at all.  
  
Qastor fired blindly into the mass, steadily walking backwards...  
  
"Enemy MTs detected within range of 500 meters."  
  
Qastor held his ground. Firing... Firing...  
  
"...400 meters..."  
  
Qastor closed his eyes, the HUD dully flashing from his rifle shots.  
  
"...300 meters..."  
  
The MTs fired. A multitude of energy volleys quietly pelted away at Xanthippius' armor. It was hopeless to move, since fifty other shots will replace those that miss.  
  
"...150 meters. Left shoulder joint actuator 02 damaged."  
  
Qastor opened his eyes, activating the overboosters. He squinted as a blinding blur of cyan-colored energy shots bombarded the HUD, bracing against the force of the OB thrust. A heavy hue of orange, yellow, and gray exploded from the near horizon. The energetic blur ceased as Qastor cut the overboosters and braked. Shrouds of flames and debris erupted right in his face as he boosted backwards. Qastor discovered that the entire mass of MTs was annihilated, and a wall of explosions in front of him was more than enough proof. The surmounted Apocrypha behind the explosions transformed into a hurricane of conflagrations. Flames seeped and oozed from the cracking armor panels, and eventually devoured the entire once-flying citadel whole.  
  
"Unknown object detected." Qastor stopped his backward movement in response.  
  
Frantically, Qastor searched around, but found his eyes focusing on the far flames. An AC shot out of the fire, smoke and embers trailing from its moonlit armor. It stopped abruptly in high midair, turned, and faced Qastor. Its left side was visible against the moonshine, but its right was invisible against the infinite oceans of stars.  
  
Qastor stared in awe as the AC fleeted to the moon... 


	50. Silent Reconciliation

Black Feather: Episode L  
  
"Silent Reconciliation"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base GCWC-SB/02  
  
10:12 p.m., 03/23  
  
  
  
"Nice night, isn't it?" Qastor walked out of the cafeteria to the adjoining balcony. He stood a distance from Malirant, who leaned on the Roman-esque railing, gazing deeply into the far calling ocean. The night air was fresh, crisp, and breezy. Qastor noticed the absence of a reply. He glimpsed at Malirant, stolid and silent. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
For the first time, Malirant replied with a nod.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry for... thrashing your AC... but you attacked first, okay!?"  
  
Silence...  
  
"It's as if I had a choice!"  
  
Silence...  
  
"Is this how you act to your best friend!?"  
  
Silence...  
  
"Speak, damnit!!"  
  
Silence...  
  
Frustrated, Qastor turned away with exasperation. After all he's been through, he wasn't sure if he could add betrayal to the list of events. He folded his arms across each other and leaned on the rail, resting his forehead on them. Lights from the cafeteria switched off.  
  
An intense moment of inactivity and thought trudged by. In his mind, Qastor couldn't find anyone else to blame but Qain. But, then again he thought, he could always blame Sphere. His inner war rages on...  
  
"It's not like I enjoyed fighting you, alright?" Qastor decided to break the silence. "So much has happened lately. I... I just don't know who to trust anymore..." He felt some of the weight released from his shoulders.  
  
Malirant finally moved. He gave Qastor a familiar pat on the shoulder. He wasn't as strong as he used to be. This thought saddened Qastor.  
  
"Malirant... Why can't you speak to me?" Qastor looked at Malirant, who replied with a slicing motion across his throat. "You..."  
  
He nodded. Qastor knew it then, and struck the rail with his left fist. Malirant's voice was permanently lost.  
  
It pained Malirant to have to converse like this, for he had much to tell also. What he went through was something he wanted to share with Qastor, but without a voice, Malirant took great dolor in seeing Qastor react the way he was at the moment. He took a deep breath and moved his eyes about the black dotted canvas of a sky.  
  
In truth, it was an extreme rarity that Qastor would ever cry in his life, but this was just one of those times. He held his heavy tears back, and attempted to hide them from Malirant by digging his face in his folded arms. Malirant realized this inconspicuously, but dared not to comfort his friend. He knew Qastor had an insane amount of emotions pent up in his mind, and that Qastor should let out what comes. There are times when a person has to cry to move on. A sort of dissociation perhaps, but Malirant put that thought to rest.  
  
Iris stood in the shadows of the cafeteria, near the wide glass door to the balcony, and having watched and heard everything that happened, crying was inevitable.  
  
Heroes and heroines are perhaps the loneliest people to ever dwell the world. 


	51. Stillness in Motion

Black Feather: Episode LI  
  
"Stillness in Motion"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Western Dormitory Branch GCWC-WD/S-05  
  
9:03 a.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
...Seems strange...  
  
[...What is...?]  
  
...I sit here all day... and see everything that happens to you... and I begin to think... These things could've happened to... to...  
  
[...To who...?]  
  
...Nevermind... Even in this world of limited possibilities, things could've gone differently. I sit here, and see how you transact with your comrades... It's amazing... how they go on as if you're the 'real' one...  
  
[...They're my comrades because I'm their comrade...]  
  
...Have you begun to accept your blank identity...?  
  
[...I... I don't know anymore... I can't let these things get in the way... I have to carry on...]  
  
...You can't ignore this forever... I see how you're doing when you're awake... An inner war continuously ravages your being... You're constantly thinking about who you are...  
  
[...Can't I have any privacy in my own world...?]  
  
...I'm afraid not... If you go on ignoring this, you'll go mad... I know...  
  
[...How would you know...? You never tell me who you are... and yet, it's as if I've known you ever since I could think...]  
  
...Things... are a little different on my side...  
  
[...How's that...?]  
  
...I know a lot about you... perhaps even more than you know about yourself... I know much more than a lifelong friend would know... and yet... you are still a total stranger to me...  
  
[...You don't trust me...?]  
  
...I have to... You're the only one I have... Besides being trapped in your mind, I'm nothing but a soul... You're the reason why I still exist... Without you... the ARK would get me...  
  
[...The ARK...?]  
  
...You'll find out soon enough, I'm sure...  
  
[...]  
  
...I... must ask... no... I need you to do me two favors...  
  
[...What?]  
  
...When this is all over, go to the grave... in the 'sakura' garden... There, find Rey Vyn's ring...  
  
[...I can't do that... Aries has the ring...]  
  
...It doesn't matter if he has it or not... trust me... the ring'll be there... in Qastor's ashes...  
  
[...What's the other one...?]  
  
...After you find Rey Vyn's ring... go out into the world... find out who you are... I can't help you anymore than I already have...]  
  
[...Alright...]  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Title: Hey...  
  
Sender: Malirant  
  
"Good morning, Qastor,  
  
Im sory for not bein able to talk to u teh other night. Im sure you kno already, but I lost my voice after tat incident two or some weekz ogo. By teh time you read this, I probably at the gym catchin up on some exercise. I will alos try to learn some sign language or whatever tey callz it. If you neeed any hep, dont b afraid to aks me.  
  
PS: Pleease excuse my typin. Its not realy my thng."  
  
Your best friend,  
  
Malirant  
  
Qastor grinned involuntarily while reading Malirant's e-mail. The mood of his life has changed drastically. It was... bittersweet. Times of happiness were rare all of a sudden, far and between. Qain was waiting for him, and Qastor knew it. It was the thought of what Qain had in store for him that troubled his very existence.  
  
He sat there, alone in his quarters, his arms folded, his eyes staring into the radiance of the laptop. The room was gloomily lit by the weeping skies painted in the window. For the first time, his bed was made, crooked, but humble. His quarters consisted only of a desk, laptop, chair, and bed. Nothing else. And all of his rooms from various structures were congenial.  
  
In the midst of getting dressed, the PVA (Private announcement, as opposed to PA, Public announcement) came on.  
  
"Mr. Qastor, Miss Garnet requests your presence. Please sign in at the conference lobby."  
  
"Garnet...? What could she possib..." Qastor's thoughts wandered from Garnet, to Laevaentteinn, and then to Lucifer. He then remembered that Lucifer was gone, his whereabouts unknown. He paced himself as to not keep Garnet waiting.  
  
Qastor glimpsed about the hallways. People went about their businesses in poetic silence and motion. There was an air of intensity, and he was afraid to make a noise, but it couldn't be helped, lest he tiptoed on socks. He noticed, as he made haste to the conference lobby, that others around him were clad in sweaters and jackets, most had their hoods on despite the shelter of the ceiling. An eerie feeling scuttled about his mind as he noticed their faces hidden in the depths of the hoods. He continued on his way, rubbing his arms to warm himself at times, for the hallways were pertinaciously freezing.  
  
"Mr. Qastor, I presume? Miss Garnet is waiting in conference room CR-05."  
  
Qastor returned cordial thanks to the lady registrar. Upon reaching the said room, the door opened. Garnet looked up and was surprised at the sight of Qastor. She wore a rose-hued heavy sweater, with fur waving at the rims, wrist cuffs, and collar. Gentle crests of steam rolled as she breathed. Garnet-colored hair glittered long and straight against her back.  
  
"Oh! I thought you weren't coming so..."  
  
"You're worried about Lucifer, aren't you?" Qastor went straight to the point.  
  
"How'd you guess?" She was a little surprised, and cocked her head a tiny bit when she spoke.  
  
"I had a hunch."  
  
"Well, it's really cold in there, so let's talk in the cafeteria, okay?"  
  
Qastor nodded and led Garnet to the cafeteria. The ominous sight of isolated passersby didn't seem to bother Garnet as much as it did him.  
  
The cafeteria wasn't as occupied as it usually was. The dome was open, however. Qastor's breakfast consisted of a scone, sandwich, and apple cider. Garnet had a cup of hot chocolate. She pressed her palms against it for warmth.  
  
"So, what's the subject?" Qastor unwrapped a straw.  
  
"You know Lucifer's gone, right? Do you know where?"  
  
"Not a clue. He just disappeared into thin air... after he charged for Qa... Rey Vyn." His motions became more deliberate.  
  
"Rey Vyn, huh... Do you know where this 'Rey Vyn' went?"  
  
"No..." Qastor checked through his memory, and in fact, did find something. "...wait... It's... The Lost Field?"  
  
"Lost Field...?"  
  
"At least, that's where he said he'd be." Qastor checked his palm PC, which he had produced from his left pocket. Garnet glanced around. "How's your wound?"  
  
"It's healed up already, and the scar is gone."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Reparation associated with something called 'Flesh Engineering.' They say Sphere developed it. I didn't want to go with the operation, since it's linked to Sphere and all, but I had no choice..." She took a sip of the hot chocolate.  
  
"Hmm... Really..." Another thought made him wonder. "Say, can't your rebel force form a search party or something?"  
  
"We... believe in a liberal order. In other words, we believe that Lucifer will find his way back. He has a lot of combat experience, both in ACs and hand-to-hand." She sounded confident.  
  
"I see." Just then, Qastor came upon something new. His eyebrows raised, and Garnet noticed.  
  
"What's wrong?" She blinked and sat upright.  
  
"It's..." Qastor gasped, his eyes wide. "...a mission... from Rey Vyn..." Garnet was appalled also.  
  
"No way... Lemme see!" Garnet snatched the palm PC from Qastor's trembling hands, his eyes still shaking in disbelief.  
  
Mission: -  
  
Requester: Qain  
  
Reward: -  
  
Summary:  
  
"Qastor... I'm waiting for you... Bring the Children also, that is, if you know who they are already. I've uncovered the location of the Lost Field on your PC. Don't ask how I did it. Just get here and everything shall reveal itself. I know you and your comrades have personal questions concerning the past. Come here and all will be answered. If you don't come, then Lucifer's not coming back."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Garnet settled the palm PC down. She had questions too, but more importantly, she wanted to find Lucifer. That's all that mattered to her.  
  
"Qastor, we have to go! Accept the mission!" Her tone was obsequious.  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"What?"  
  
"How could Re... Qain know the answer to my past? It's just not right..."  
  
"But... What about Lucifer!? Can't we rescue him!?"  
  
"Who gives a damn about him...!" Qastor scoffed, his eyes narrowed. Garnet flared up.  
  
"How could you say that!?" Garnet abruptly stood up from her chair; the hot chocolate cup almost fell over.  
  
"I just don't want things to change anymore. What if..."  
  
"What if what!?"  
  
"What if whatever Qain says changes everything!?" Qastor was exasperated. "What if what he says changes how I look at life!? My outlook on life is already screwed up as it is because of Lucifer!" Qastor forced his forehead onto his hands. The entire cafeteria was absent of noise. Garnet reached for her cup.  
  
"You have the right to believe what you want to believe, don't you?" Garnet gave Qastor one last food for thought and departed. She was right, though, and he knew it. He felt a surge of willpower. He shook his head and clenched his fists.  
  
It was about time he took matters into his own hands.  
  
"Wait..." Garnet stopped. 


	52. Effete Will

Black Feather: Episode LII  
  
"Effete Will"  
  
Global Cortex Surface Base, Northern Cafeteria GCWC-NS/CF-00  
  
9:34 a.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
Garnet turned around. Qastor kept his eyes on his breakfast.  
  
"Fine... We're going." He turned to her. Garnet shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so."  
  
"Are you coming?" Qastor wanted to make sure.  
  
"Of course, I am. Bring your comrades, too. I have a feeling we'll need them." She turned to the doorway. "Call me whenever you need me. Just ask the registrar for the number."  
  
Qastor opened up a map on the palm PC. A new location in the far west revealed an island. Geographical sensors show that the surrounding shores were steeply cliffed. He settled it down and devoured his breakfast.  
  
"Who was that?" Qastor jumped when he saw Iris right next to him, her arms folded.  
  
"Ah, Iris!"  
  
"Who was that just now?" A tinge of anger forced itself into her words.  
  
"It's not what you think, Iris! She came all the way here to talk abo-"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Lucifer, okay? You know, that rebel leader from the other day." Iris unfolded her arms and took a seat across from him.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"Garnet? She wants to search for him." Iris had a doubtful expression on her face, and Qastor noticed. To prove himself right, he handed her his palm PC. "You see that?"  
  
"What about it?" Within five seconds of browsing around, Iris did see. She looked worried.  
  
"It's a mission from..."  
  
"Qain!" That name aggravated the rain. "But... How...?" Iris was in disbelief.  
  
"It just showed up this morning. I was surprised too." Qastor gulped down some apple cider. "Garnet thinks Lucifer could be there." Iris looked up at Qastor.  
  
"Are you... gonna go?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper. Qastor gave a sigh.  
  
"I have to... I have some questions about my past, and he probably has the answers I want."  
  
"What do you know about your past?"  
  
"My... dad once said I was an orphan... that the orphanage I was at burned down..." Qastor's words gradually lowered in intensity.  
  
"The Orphans' Tear Tragedy..." Iris' tone was melancholic.  
  
"You know about it, too?" Qastor looked down on his meal again. "After that, I was given to the Altair family... They say the children there were given out to random potential foster parents on a list, since there wasn't another orphanage in the entire district. I got stuck with the abusive family... Guess that's my luck, though..." Qastor scoffed. Iris was in dolor. She always had a loving family. A family that cared... She realized that she and Qastor are from different walks of life. "I've never been l-loved in any way in my life." He staggered a little on the word 'love,' since he wasn't used to saying it. In fact, this might have been the very first time he said that word aloud.  
  
It was heartrending to Iris. She slowly placed a comforting hand on his clenched fist, which rested when he felt Iris'.  
  
"How old were you when this happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure... Probably about... three to four years old. I was really young, so I don't remember anyone there." Their eyes met. "You're going aren't you...?"  
  
Iris nodded.  
  
"I'm sure Rose'll want to go too... Maybe you should ask Malirant?"  
  
"I will."  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
"Malirant." Qastor called as Malirant finished the last of his bench presses. "I gotta mission from Qain."  
  
Malirant turned to Qastor confoundedly, his cotton towel hanging around his shoulder.  
  
"I know it's a little crazy, but I need you as one of my consorts." Malirant thought about it for a moment, staring at a mosaic in the carpet of the gym. To clear things up a little, Qastor handed Malirant his palm PC and sat down next to him. Malirant skimmed through the mission summary, but deliberately re-read it to verify what it said. He remembered the recent dream, and handed the palm PC back to Qastor. "You coming?"  
  
Nervously, he nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead and neck afterwards.  
  
"Thanks, man. Really appreciate it." Qastor stood up from beside Malirant. "Meet me at the hangar at 1700 hours. Don't worry if you're late or anything."  
  
With that, Qastor left. Malirant decided that he had enough exercise for one day. He made his way back to his quarters to take a shower.  
  
Qastor accepted the mission contract. Upon hiring a large-scale transport, the map was uploaded from the palm PC to the transport's navigational database.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor and Iris sat next to each other. Garnet sat in the back corner, gazing out into the receding city lights. Rose and Malirant conversed, although it was tasking for her, since all he could reply with was a shrug, nod, or head shake. Always a man of imagination, Malirant detached a laptop from the seat in front of him and attempted to type what he had to say. But, even that was difficult for Rose.  
  
However, there was an air of intensity in that passenger cabin. Five ACs rattled in the on-board hangar of the heavy transport. Malirant pointed out the window. Rose saw the coastline whoosh past below.  
  
Reluctantly, the ocean stirred about. Silence and stillness overshadowed the whole cabin. 


	53. Revelation

Black Feather: Episode LIII  
  
"Revelation"  
  
Vicinity of Lost Field  
  
10:26 p.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
Qastor awoke to reddened skies. Velvet red rays of light poured from the cabin windows. Dancing swirls of lurid luminescence yarned myths of blood- running rivers and gore-drenched battlefields, entrenching the lost skies with frescoes of death and dolor. Is this the power of Qain?  
  
An acknowledgment blip ensued and the weary pilot's voice droned, "Nearing area of operations. Please board your ACs."  
  
He gently shook Iris' shoulder.  
  
"Iris... Wake up..." Qastor crooned, and Iris slowly awoke. She smiled at his sight, but frowned as soon as the red sky luster baffled her senses. Another, more intense blip sounded and the others awoke. Iris leaned to the window. The stretching coastline of the Lost Field was tainted with a red shade. There was almost no beach; a few patches here and there, but steep, jagged cliffs were omnipresent.  
  
Malirant stood up first, walking down the aisle to the hangar. He noticed Garnet, still dozing quietly in her seat. He reached and gave her a hearty shake on the shoulder, even though this was the second brief time he saw her. Malirant was already opening the door to the hangar when Garnet noticed the group up and about. She followed them out.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
The five walked out of the transport one-by-one in their ACs. Qastor scanned the area, and was somewhat troubled by what he saw. Lost Field was a stagnant island. No wind, no rustling, no sea waves, no motion, just dancing skies. Qastor noticed a glaring message on his HUD.  
  
"Ominous skies bleed a crimson night. Lenore and Nevermore, time stands ablight."  
  
Upon reading the last word, the message blurred into nothingness, which brewed a cursing storm inside Qastor's will. An enormous, domed edifice loomed in silence beyond the forest of dead trees. No... Not trees... at least, not anymore they weren't... but desiccated, grotesque spikes of ebony wood that silently shrieked from the barren, cracked terrain. Gleaming blades protruded from the dome's lining, stained with sacrificial blood of birds.  
  
There was no way to the edifice besides cutting through the forest, so Malirant moved first, leading the group, although he was just as clueless on where to go as the rest were. He blinked in surprise when the wooden spikes reduced to ash upon the gentlest touch. He moved closer to the woods and waved Ogre's arm through the canopy. Every single 'tree' that he touched crumbled into dust. He figured out why. Since there was no wind, the ashen 'trees' maintained their form until now. The temperature swung up and down, freezing one minute and boiling the next. Notwithstanding, they trudged their way through with cautious eyes. However, the domed structure seemed to stretch and writhe ever closer. Dead woods crumbled; the dust and ash pushed by the stampeding walls. The five stopped, watching in awe as the walls abruptly halted, the piles of dust pervading forth into a palpable gray mist. A towering, Gothic-like door slowly swung open. They entered...  
  
"Qastor... This is freaking me out..." Iris convinced herself to turn back, but.  
  
"I know... This is freaking us all out..." He found that it comforted Iris none, and pursued... "Don't worry. I'll protect you."  
  
Malirant motioned them to stop.  
  
"What's wrong, Malirant?" Rose stopped short behind Ogre. A typed message appeared on her screen.  
  
A wall. No entrance.  
  
Rose looked around and noticed that the entire doorway was blocked off by a wall. But, before they could do anything about it, the circular mosaic underneath rumbled alive and descended. The massive doors shut with loud hostility behind and now, above them.  
  
Qastor's altimeter indicated rapid descent, but he didn't need it to know. Despite the restraining seat belts, he felt light-weighted, almost floating. Suddenly, the platform stopped, and Qastor was brought down to his seat with force. The wall in front of them split open to reveal a poorly lit, vastly expansive rotunda. They made their way in at a slow pace. It wasn't until five minutes later that...  
  
A sudden, intense vibration in the air rattled the metallic walls, floors, and the armor of the five's ACs. Instinctively, Qastor boosted forward to the lead of the group.  
  
"QAIN!!!" Qastor called, for in his sight was Qain in his Ark Omnis. Qain had made a rapid descent, and upon stopping, caused a bang in the air. Ark Omnis had an uncanny resemblance to Nova Omnis. Its six, instead of four, orbital cannons were distinctly more pointed, like a thick blade, and horizontally floated on top of another in the fashion of wings, three on each. His arms folded themselves across in a humanoid style. Long laserblade emitters rested on his forearms, and his armor illuminated in lurid brilliance. Spikes shimmered from his heels, hips, knee, elbow, and shoulders.  
  
"You finally came..." Qain's voice was low and malignant.  
  
"I'll get you, Qain!!" Qastor pushed the controls, but his body was frozen. So were the others. "Damn... The Logic Drive..."  
  
"You all came here for answers, and you shall get them!!" Ark Omnis rose in the air seamlessly without bodily motion.  
  
"What... a history lesson?"  
  
"I'm doing you a favor, aren't I? Consider this the final revelation of your nigh-ending lives." Qain's words cut right into Qastor's heart.  
  
He and the others had no choice, but to listen...  
  
"At the beginning of the Earth's formation, God Engine ARK crash landed on this desolate planet. In need of extreme amounts of energy to continue its inter-dimensional journey, it dispensed life-giving amino acids. Life appeared and evolved into multi-cellular organisms. To feed upon the energy of the organisms, killing them off in catastrophic numbers was required. The Interplanetary Apocalyptic Weapon, PERDITION, was the perfect tool for this. A total of four catastrophes were necessary, branded the Great Destructions. The gathering of the energy is called the Harvest of January, June, August, and December. Two pillars of control was established, The Controller and the H-1 Program, both of which would soon watch over the surviving humans. A Harvest can only be activated by the H- 1 Program, however. At the peak of existence of the ancient dinosaurs, Harvest of January was activated, and the energy and flesh of the dinosaurs were absorbed. With the dominating reptiles out of the way, the timid apes evolved into humans and flourished, eventually thriving and siphoning off the planet's resources. The population grew rapidly, and the second, true Great Destruction occurred. Harvest of June done with, the remaining humans fled underground in two areas, Layered Alpha, under the guidance of the H-1 program, and ours, Layered Omega, under the tyranny of The Controller."  
  
"Over the course of centuries, Layered Alpha prospered, eventually discovering the surface. Their advancement accelerated, they moved on into Mars, the neighboring planet of red. However, leftover sentinels of the planet, the Disorders, soon killed off the colonies and somehow moved on to Earth. They invaded the people of Layered Alpha, and soon reached the coveted ARK itself. Attempting to protect the ARK, Harvest of August was activated, and the humans of Layered Alpha and the invading Disorders were eradicated. However, the H-1 main frame and vital computers were massacred also, and without the H-1 program at full function, the Harvest of December cannot activate. So, as a last resort, it created two alternate activation methods. The first is the confinement of the Four Pale Horsemen in -Nazareth-, the ARK's antagonistic cell core. The second was the reuniting of the Nine Children of H-1 at certain locations of the Earth. The Nine Children possess a specially engineered base code in their DNA, which allows the activation of the last Harvest. All were naturally conceived through surrogate mothers by a process similar to cloning, except I, Qain. I was first created artificially. My skin, my organs, my bones, my entire body, and. my mind. All artificially engineered to be invincible. The remaining Children's DNA were artificially, but masterfully, perfectly built differently from each other to enable reproduction, and placed into eight surrogate mothers, who were released into Layered Omega, where their chances of surviving were greater. As the First Child of H-1, the burden of reuniting the other Eight Children was placed in my hands, but upon awakening in Layered Omega, my objectives were lost... But now, the Harvest of December is nigh... The Final Great Destruction..." Qain snickered at the end of his speech.  
  
Qastor was confounded. "Who are these... 'Nine Children of H-1'...?"  
  
"Hahahahhahahh, I'm very glad you asked, my young Nevermore. They are..." He stopped to list them all.  
  
"Me......... Malirant......... Angelus........ Lucifer......... Garnet......... Iris..... Rose......... and you Qastor......... I shall not reveal the Last Child, however, for I'm sure you'll do something about it should you somehow escape. Which is utterly inconceivable..." Qain had an evil confidence strengthening his voice.  
  
It all came together for Qastor. He and all the others finally understood. They all shared a common origin. Iris was bewildered, and so was Rose. Garnet, however, was still worried about Lucifer. Malirant understood his dream now, and his head seemed to tremble in agony from the traumatizing realization that he killed... But... Qastor was prepared for something like this.  
  
"Qain... I'm not finished with you yet..." Qastor's voice was threatening, despite the fact that his body and AC was hopelessly frozen.  
  
"Oh, you're not are you? Well, it just so happens that I share the same predicament... But, that will be over soon..."  
  
Ark Omnis unfolded its arms. Its orbital wings flexed, it charged right into Qastor and the others in less than a second. Five ear-crushing clashes reverberated throughout the rotunda.  
  
Black out... 


	54. I Am

Black Feather: Episode LIV  
  
"I Am"  
  
???  
  
11:12 p.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
"...You should value what you have. Of course, I never had a family, let alone know if I even had one to start with. I missed out a lot of things in life, and I know I can't do anything about it. Say, tell me something. What's your dream? ...... dream? ......... dream? ............ ...dream? .................."  
  
"...Well, I've always knew there was a surface somehow. And I always knew, that somewhere in that paradise, is a family waiting for me. I want to search, but I can't just leave everything behind. So, I come here to think about it...... it......... it..................... it.................."  
  
"...You got a point there. I'll keep that in mind......... mind............ mind.................. mind............"  
  
"You know what? I don't really have a name... name......... name..................... name........."  
  
"It is I... Rey Vyn......... Rey Vyn......... Rey vyn........................... rey vyn..................."  
  
"Are you happy now, Rey Vyn? Are you happy that you have a name now? Are you happy!? Happy that you've finally found your goddamn family!? ARE YOU!?!? ANSWER ME, YOU BASTARD!!!"  
  
"...a......... an......"  
  
"...ans......... answ......"  
  
"...answer...... answer......"  
  
"...answer me... ANSWER ME!!!!" A comforting emerald light surrounded Qastor as his senses crashed down upon him. He gasped, and a bubble wobbled up from his mouth. His eyes caught sight of the bubble and watched it float to the surface. He glimpsed around. A wide tube of glass surrounded him. He found himself suspended in a green, glowing, translucent liquid. His lungs screamed for air, begging and begging...  
  
Qastor banged repeatedly on the glass. His lungs choked, his strikes were getting weaker. His loosening fist nudged the glass as he passed out...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor awoke to the clamor of shattering glass and the impact of the cold, heat-siphoning metal against his body. He was flat on the floor, his body and clothes strangely dry as if it never touched the green fluid, which poured out of his damaged tube and pervaded the floor. Qastor gasped for air, coughing and gagging out some of the liquid, which left no taste behind. He moved his arms, the glass under his elbows and forearm scathed against the metal floor. He opened his eyes and looked up. A dark, long- coated figure leaned down, sheathing a sword into a scabbard. The figure placed a metal bar in front of Qastor's face and walked away, but stopped at one particular tube. The figure's right hand rose and became flat against the glass, the lime green glow sadly illumining his glove. The dark silhouette's head drooped down, as if in sorrow, and continued on its way, the clicking of the lacquered scabbard against the floor dissipated in the distance...  
  
Qastor gathered his strength and slowly forced himself up to his feet. He stumbled a bit, but nevertheless, he picked up the metal bar with his left and wiped his blurry eyes with his right. His eyes settled on a distinct tube. One that already had been shattered besides his own. The green liquid still glowed and revealed a curious shard of glass. Qastor forced himself to pick it up. He held it against the dimming emerald liquid. There were three engraved letters, as if scratched by a hard object.  
  
"I am"  
  
Qastor placed the shard in his outermost left pocket, for fear that it might pierce him if he made a wrong move. He got himself together and his vision returned. Iris was in a nearby tube, which he carefully shattered, catching Iris in his arms and letting the metal bar clang on against the fallen shards. She was still unconscious when he settled her down against the unbroken side of his glass tube. He picked the metal bar again and proceeded to liberating the rest of his comrades. Qastor was amazed at how quickly Malirant recovered. It was as if he went through something of similar events before. Malirant tended Rose and Garnet while Qastor came over to Iris. He found her awake and dreaming.  
  
"Iris... Let's go..." He shook her shoulder gently.  
  
"Qastor... what am I?" Iris spoke with precarious courtesy.  
  
"What?" Qastor blinked in puzzlement.  
  
"Tell me... Who am I?"  
  
"Iris... You're Iris... Don't you know that... W-what's wrong?"  
  
"What he said... Is it all true? Was I... born for the sole purpose of murdering and devouring the flesh of innocent people!?" Iris gripped Qastor's sleeve, her eyes now glittering with tears.  
  
"You have the freedom of choosing what you want to believe in. Iris, if you don't believe it, there's no one or nothing that can change your mind..."  
  
"But... It all comes together so well... Everything that's been happening points to us. It's because of us that innocent lives are suffering!" Iris' tone was hopeless.  
  
"Damnit, Iris! I have to live with this too!!" Iris turned away, shriveling up and encircling her knees with her arms. She muffled her sobbing against her knees. Qastor looked around. The others were lugubriously silent, congenially sitting against the wall or one of the tubes, thinking to themselves, trying to absorb and comprehend what they've been told. He turned to Iris. "Look... We all have to live with this... So, you're not alone..." Iris' weeping lessened. Not being able to think up anything else to say at the moment, Qastor settled himself down.  
  
That's all he could do then... Just sit with his comrades. 


	55. Division

Black Feather: Episode LV  
  
"Division"  
  
???  
  
11:20 p.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
[...Things aren't going so well...]  
  
...Have things ever went well in this world...?  
  
[...What'll I do now...?]  
  
...Do what you think is right... Just get out of here alive...  
  
[...But... how...?]  
  
...There... there's a door... go there...  
  
[...I... I don't know if I could do it... I'm tired...]  
  
...Just go... there's no time left... either it's now or never...  
  
[...I can't... It feels good to rest here... the silence... the soothing glow of the green fluid... It's cold, but...]  
  
...Just do it...! You... you wanted to make a change, didn't you...?  
  
[...I guess so...]  
  
...What about Iris...? She needs you... more than ever right now... The world... needs you...  
  
[...Why is it that I'm always stuck with these damn responsibilities!? Why can't everyone just leave me alone...?]  
  
...They can't... because they need you... Destiny is cruel... I know...  
  
[...]  
  
...Do what you will... it's up to you... just... promise me something...  
  
[...What...?]  
  
...Protect... protect Iris... for me...  
  
[...I... I don't... Fine... alright... I promise... but first... give me a clue... to who you are...]  
  
...I am... I was... a man... who wasn't supposed to die...  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Qastor awoke, staring into his palm. There were more wrinkles streaking across now. Festoons of deep apricot hue indicated his stress. But, looking into his hands, he promised himself. no, he made a commitment to himself that he would carve out his own destiny, that if he can't find out who he really is, he would just have to earn his identity. Time to take action. A strong man doesn't need a destiny handed to him; he makes his own, a wise warrior once said.  
  
He clenched his hand into a vigorous fist. An empowering air sailed about him as he quickly stood on his two feet again, the numerous glass shards under him chaffing against the frosty floor, the green liquid now plates of inanimate curves. Qastor boldly made his way to the frozen door. Pumping his shoulders, he shoved it wide open. Specks of ice sparkled in the ensuing light, glowing about him and clicking onto the floor.  
  
"Qastor... Where are you going?" Iris looked up at a parting Qastor.  
  
"To face Qain."  
  
"W-wait... What about Lucifer?" Garnet noticed Qastor walking past her.  
  
"He just left."  
  
"What!? Where!?" Garnet was the second to get up. Qastor shrugged.  
  
"Gone after I blacked out." She looked down. Qastor faced the rest of the group. "I'm outta here. If any of you wants to get out of this frozen hell, then get moving." Not to his surprise, they all got up with renewed hope and vigor. Somehow, the light from the door subsided as it had poured in. Qastor faced the dreadful hallway echoing before him.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Veils of cobwebs deceptively occluded the group's path. Qastor led them, tearing the cobwebs away with a quick, wide wave of his hand, and keeping a fully loaded pistol available. Malirant took the flank, in case someone, or something, should unexpectedly pop up from behind. Dim, archaic, green lamps paved a depressing path. Random water drops sent echoes bouncing through the hall. Hidden congregations of moss thrived from damp cracks and crevasses. Their footsteps tapped and knocked at the adamant stone floor.  
  
"Hey, look..." Qastor turned his head around and found Rose pointing at an inconspicuous door to their right in the distance. They continued through the hall. Qastor gripped the frozen knob, and seeing as it won't budge, proceeded to forcing his way in with a heavy kick. Vibrating from the impact, the door creaked open, revealing a scene much to their horror.  
  
There, on a red-stained, nipped stone table was a corpse. Upon distant inspection, Qastor found it deprived of its eyeballs, its mouth long open in the most horrific way, as if the person had died a most excruciatingly violent death. Qastor scanned some more, and found a flower of dully glimmering spikes shooting out from the corpse's disemboweled abdomen and chest, morsels, chunks of flesh, and heart frozen stabbed at the blood- rusted tips. The corpse's body was arched up from the stomach, as if the spikes had shrilled out from the table. A grated bowl spat out flaccid cackles of emerald flames in the far wall. But, it wasn't the malformed victim on the table that shocked Qastor, it was what hung on the walls...  
  
Male humans of every age, young and old, ill and healthy, posed as dead and agonized statues. Each was supported by a dull, but deadly hook, which pierced from the backs of their necks, and glared conspicuously out from the front; their Adam's Apples rotted from the curved tips of the hook. Most had no eyes, with ancient blood dripping and oozing from their eye sockets, while the rest showed off their dilapidating eyeballs, eaten away by once-thriving flies and maggots, now dead from the foul, blood-curdling stench of unheard screams and desiccated gore. Screaming was what every victim was once doing, and still is. Their jaws were so low from their normal positions, Qastor was convinced that the victims must've disconnected their own jaws from screaming so harshly. They were all cloaked in torn cloths, and the group dared not to think of what hid inside. Congregations of metallic, rusted surgical tools slept on the ground, silently chattering amongst themselves of past operations.  
  
Seeing as it was a complete struggle for the females of the group to cope with such bloodshed, Qastor shut the wooden door closed, the death aroma still seeping out from the gap underneath. They continued on their way.  
  
Qastor soon spotted a door clad in frosty cobwebs to their left. Making short work of them, Qastor kicked the door several times, but to no avail. With the aid of Malirant, the door banged open, and a heavy lock clamored onto the ground. The two peeped in first. It was a living quarters of some type. It consisted of a wall-hung bed, a desk with no chair, and a barely functional laptop, the only source of light in that space of darkness. A man sitting hunched over with his bald head down and hidden caught their attention. Qastor cocked his gun.  
  
"Hey... You over there... Who are you and what are you doing there?" Qastor found himself without a reply. "Hey-"  
  
All of a sudden, the man started with desperate vigor, lurching himself at Qastor, his mouth long and wide open, his eye-less sockets swallowed the dreadful air as he advanced, his depressingly slender arms brandishing. Qastor pulled the trigger at point blank, withdrawing to the opposite wall of the hallway behind him, the females yelping at the burst of the pistol. The bullet had blasted through the man's left chest, releasing a dense puff of dust and ash in lieu of blood. Instantly, the man fell on his front body, colliding with the floor and crumbling into masses of dust.  
  
"What in... heaven's name is Qain doing here...?" Iris finally spoke. Qastor cautiously stepped through the hills of dust and made his way for the computer.  
  
X month, X day, X year  
  
Searching  
  
Log Entry of Qain - 2:4:1  
  
"My search for the 'Progeny,' or the Last Child for that matter, still goes on. Since I am left with no clue as to how old the Last Child may be, I have no other options but to prey upon the candidates, boring into their innards to seek a sporadic H-1 DNA strand. So far, no progress has been made, but the list of candidates is slowly shrinking. However, the possibility of the Progeny not being on that list still racks my mind."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Qastor called the others in, much to their displeasure. They all read the entry, cringing at the very word. After that, Qastor searched further, and his efforts came to fruition.  
  
X month, X day, X year  
  
Subject found  
  
Log Entry of Qain - 6:6:6  
  
"I have finally found the Last Child. A multitude of excruciatingly painful tests had been subjected unto him. I continued the tests despite his screams and curses, knowing that he wo1uld dissociate at one time or another. I almost forgot to mention. Due to the tests, the Last Child has been inflicted with a mental disorder known as DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. I almost pity him, but it is only a matter of time before I find the other Children as well. I have successfully extracted the Transcendent DNA, but the tests must resume, as the identities of all the Children rests somewhere within him. I know it."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
X month, X day, X year  
  
Subject lost  
  
Log Entry of Qain - 13:13:13  
  
"The Progeny has escaped. It was during one of the tests that Omnis took over. The lab is completely destroyed, and my entire face is burned off. But, by using the surviving data in which I have acquired from the Last Child, I was able to reconstruct my face, one that resembles his once he reaches my age. Due to the artificial nature of my being, this is all possible without the possibility of organ rejection. The Transcendent DNA strains were completely destroyed also, among other precious data, but I need them not, for I have memorized the identities of the rest of the Children. It is only a matter of time."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Another entry in a trash folder caught Qastor's attention.  
  
X month, X day, X year  
  
My sanity  
  
Log Entry of Rey Vyn - 0:0:0  
  
"I have discovered an ancient structure on the other side of the world, which is where I'm currently located. I feel strange being here, as if something is trying to take hold of my mind. I admit, there was always this side of me that I've constantly feared. But now, it seems to be awakening. I fear I may be deprived of my sanity, but I never felt so close to my 'family' before. Perhaps it is here that I may find answers..."  
  
-END MESSAGE-  
  
Qastor and the rest stared hard into the screen with disbelief, except for Garnet. Iris stood next to Qastor, trying to comprehend what this was with him, while Malirant and the rest made their way to the door. It was at that instant that a wall separated the group, rising with surprising speed from inconspicuous gaps in the walls and floor. The other three were already outside of the room when it happened. The door shut closed and several walls from the previous hallway closed in front of the three. Rose covered her mouth in astonishment, stepping back and bumping into a hopeless and silent Malirant, who was fatigued after beating at the door. Garnet turned around to the only open hall left.  
  
Qastor was right against the wall, pounding into the bricks while Iris hollered the other three's names. A section of the wall behind them disappeared, revealing another path. The two looked at the secret hall, then at each other in ominous amazement.  
  
The two groups parted in different paths, not knowing that it may be the last time they saw each other ever again.  
  
The computer died out. 


	56. Lenore and Nevermore

Black Feather: Episode LVI  
  
"Lenore and Nevermore"  
  
???  
  
11:41 p.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
A warming and chilling draft rose up against Qastor and Iris as they walked along a lengthy bridge, high above a vast, comfortably lit storehouse or hangar of some sort, boasting a size of at least three arenas. It walls weren't metal, but were composed of limestone cliffs, which ascended high beyond the ceiling. Hundreds of stalls lined up inside the grid partitions far down below them. Much of the stalls were empty, while some nested ancient limbs of ACs, all of which were of the same design and style.  
  
"What... is this place?" Iris gasped in astonishment. Qastor scanned about for an answer as they slowly proceeded ahead. They were halfway to the nearby corridor ahead.  
  
"Some sort of... hangar... It must be..." He spotted a peculiar emblem upon one of the distant, lifeless limbs. It was a black circle with a distinct '9' in the center. "...Nine-Ball...?"  
  
"That's correct!!" Both Qastor and Iris were thrown back against the railing of the bridge as Qain boomed into existence. Ark Omnis broke down from the high ceiling, instantly colliding with an adjacent bridge, which screeched and proceeded to descend down. Arms spread like wings, Ark Omnis folded them in its trademark fashion. "You all escaped! I just hope Angelus is more than enough for the other Children to handle..."  
  
Qastor helped Iris up while keeping a slashing expression at Qain. He whispered.  
  
"Iris... Go! Escape without me. I've got unfinished matters to settle..." His instructions were solid and strict, and Iris realized the situation.  
  
"But, you can't fight him without an AC!" Iris whispered urgently back.  
  
"Don't you worry, just go! I'll... I'll catch up with you later." Iris bolted to the corridor; Qain was quite content on letting her escape, for some unknown reason. Things stood still, even after Iris exited the area, until...  
  
"Qain! Why all this? Why did you change all of a sudden?"  
  
"It is in my very veins... It is power that drives one mad! But, no, not this case... I am. the very first to drive the very heart of power itself insane! Insanity is blind emotion... blind emotions lead to frustration, frustration begets hatred, and hatred... is who I am." Qain's voice was clear and crisp, despite the fact that he was inside an AC.  
  
"You're not answering my question..." Qastor's words were low and cutting.  
  
"Then perhaps you must dig deeper?" With a sudden click, the AC stalls far below descended into the ground. The stray AC limbs and parts dissipated into an ephemeral dream-like smoke. "I let the others escape, but I won't let you go... for I have unfinished business with you as well..."  
  
A stunning flash banged, Qastor began to tremble, the entire hangar quaked, Qain grinned.  
  
"Qain! I can't let you live! Not after what you've done to us all!" In that instant, Nova Omnis erupted from the metallic floor below, exploding through the bridge with menacing tenacity and speed. Qastor disappeared from the scene, the bridge fragments rising in slow motion around Nova Omnis. Qain might've flinched from such a spectacle.  
  
Nova Omnis extended both of its black-blue laserblades to the opposite ends of the bridge, bringing its arms down and vaporizing every molecule it touched, completely disintegrating the bridge. Qain descended gracefully onto the floor, reverting back into Nine-Ball. Without a word, Qastor did the same.  
  
"Shall it be an honorable duel?" Qastor jettisoned his CROW extensions in response to Qain's request. Xanthippius proceeded to crushing them with its feet. "Hahahah! An honorable duel it shall be!"  
  
In a flash, Qain blasted a grenade shell and strafe boosted right. Instinctively, Qastor retreated back, hardly keeping pace with the rushing grenade as it inched closer and closer to his core. The thermometer steadily rose...  
  
Qastor exploded up, slicing the nearing grenade with his laserblade. Qain overboosted straight for him out of nowhere, his LEVANTINE blade laughing. Qastor broke left with his OB just in time, letting go of the strafe and charging ahead. Both he and Qain landed hard; Qastor turned quickly, acquired his target, and allowed his chain gun to spit out its bullets with a continuous chuckle. Nine-Ball strafed to the right again, first in a jog, then boosting as the chain bullets tore away at the metal floor dangerously close to its side. OB activated, Qain charged in for Qastor again.  
  
Their blades clashed in a raging pulsar of cackling plasma and electricity. Struggling to gain an advantage, Qastor drew his rifle. Qain instantly ascended upon catching sight of the rifle with nightmarish agility. Qastor reacted, striking Nine-Ball's left foot with his blade. A chunk of smoldering titanium clamored on the floor as Nine-Ball spun uncontrollably above Qastor from the impact, but with revenge on his mind, Qain drew his blade and, in a single rotational swipe, cleft Qastor's SKYEYE asunder into blazing fragments.  
  
WARNING: HEAD COMPONENT OFF-LINE.  
  
"Damn you!" Qastor retreated with his OB far away from Qain, who quickly regained control of his airborne position. Almost out of energy, Qastor deactivated the OB, switching the systems to secondary mode.  
  
Secondary Systems Activated. Core camera on-line.  
  
The main HUD now restored, Qastor spotted Qain patiently waiting for him in the distance. In a blind rage, Qastor abandoned his rifle, running forward and firing his chain gun without a lock-on, waiting for his energy to replenish. Nine-Ball was stolid, absorbing the punishment with little or no worry.  
  
Qastor overboosted immediately, armed his rail gun, and blasted away frantically. Qain reacted, jumping up and quickly rotating around, with Qastor thundering past under him. He activated his own OB, chasing after his prey at ungodly velocities. Indeed, the hunter caught his prey.  
  
Qain, with his LEVANTINE, devastated Qastor's still-thrusting OB, which exploded violently.  
  
"Aaaghh!" Xanthippius twisted out of control, a road of flames and electricity trailing behind it. Its legs faltered, and Xanthippius plunged to the ground, skidding on its right side with a nerve-scorching shriek against the steel floor. Its right arm disconnected from the force, leaving Xanthippius to slide for another half-kilometer. Qastor, having been thrown about the cockpit like soda in a can, was barely holding on. Xanthippius lied vulnerable and surmounted near the limestone wall.  
  
Quiet it was. The silence of defeat...  
  
"...You lose... I win..." Nine-Ball strolled closer and closer. Qastor was speechless. "...This is the end of your saga, my young Nevermore..."  
  
An angel exploded from the eastern wall, unleashing a hurricane of cerulean plasma ribbons from its shimmering wings directly at Qain. Transfixed, Nine-Ball was completely dismembered, erupting into a bloodthirsty conflagration.  
  
"GAAAAAGGHHH!!!" Qain's metallic cry sliced about the air.  
  
"Qastor! You're hurt!"  
  
"Iris!? Damnit, I told you to escape!!"  
  
"I just couldn't leave you behind!"  
  
"Damnit... that was stupid... foolish..." Qastor stumbled in speech as tears streamed from his eyes.  
  
"Qastor... let's go-" Qastor's heart skipped...  
  
For there...  
  
Behind Iris...  
  
Was Ark Omnis...  
  
With its blade protruding from Iris' core...  
  
"...Foolish girl!" Ark Omnis removed its laserblade, allowing Lunarius to fall to the ground... "Don't ever try a stunt like that again..."  
  
"I... I... Ir... is..." Qastor gasped, his eyes wide and watery. He clenched the controls. Xanthippius made a silent transition.  
  
"..." Qain watched on without words.  
  
His hand trembling with enmity, Qastor pushed the controls all the way forward. Nova Omnis reacted, screaming straight for Qain with its dual blades storming from its arms.  
  
"QAIN!!!" 


	57. Kore wa Renai Desu Ne

Pinion of the Moon  
  
"Ren-ai Desu Ne"  
  
???  
  
11:52 p.m., 3/25  
  
---------------------------------------  
Qastor's right laser blade scathed harmlessly against Qain's Ex- Barrier. Startled, Qastor slashed again, but to no avail.  
  
"You cretin! You actually think you can-" Ark Omnis' left arm bolted forward, seizing Nova Omnis' face with a grinding clash and tossing the AC aside like a rag doll. "-scratch me with your toothpicks!?"  
  
Nova Omnis stopped in mid-air, quickly facing Qain. Qastor charged in again, as did Qain. Ark Omnis' superior momentum was too much, and Qastor found himself being shoved right into the limestone cliff wall. Nova Omnis jarred violently from the impact, and Qastor noticed that Ark Omnis was still on him. His panoramic HUD restored itself, and he felt screaming shocks of pain in his torso, erupting one after another in rapid succession. Realizing that Qain was violently stabbing Nova Omnis, Qastor drew his own blades, but had his AC's arms torn right off by Ark Omnis. Qain threw one aside, clenched Nova Omnis' head, and tossed the AC aside once again, left to collide with the ground.  
  
Inside the cockpit, Qastor's body was shaking from the neural pain and both of his arms trembled violently. His AC struggled to get up.  
  
"I... I can't let you..." Qastor armed his twin devastators and returning orbital cannons. "LIIVVVE!!!" The combined synergy of the cannons thundered straight for Qain in the form of a blinding edifice of plasma. Nova Omnis was pushed back from the enormous recoil, scathing sparks against the metallic floor.  
  
Qain charged forward, stopped, held Nova Omnis' dismembered right arm in the air, and released it to float precariously in the air. With a quick wave of Ark Omnis' hand toward the incoming stampede of energy, the dismembered arm's metal plates shredded into a tempest of armor fragments like paper. The rushing energy shot dispersed into a mist of radioactive particles. Qastor regained his senses, only to experience the world of pain all around his body. The fragments shrieked forward, gathering the dispersed energy particles, and tearing and bombarding Nova Omnis. Qastor's HUD shrilled and hazed as he screamed inside the cockpit. 'Omnis' blood splattered forth and stained Qain's Ex-Barrier like red paint splashed on an invisible slate of glass.  
  
Ark Omnis rose into the air, dragging and choking Nova Omnis up with its left hand. A neural pressure exerted against Qastor's neck.  
  
"I've had enough fun for now!" A black-red laserblade blasted out of Ark Omnis' right arm. "Hrrrraaaaggh--!!"  
  
"Qain, that's enough."  
  
He froze.  
  
"You idiots dare interrupt me!?" His crimson AC was still inanimate.  
  
"Angelus is dead. There's no more reason for you to carry on with your so-called 'destiny.'"  
  
"...You're wrong... You're all wrong!! Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior!! All of you damn geezers are wrong!!"  
  
"Ramble on as much as you like. You're now officially considered trash in the eyes of ARK. You no longer have a purpose."  
  
"Damnit!! I'll murder you all!!"  
  
"Do as you like... 'trash'..." The transmission ended, and Qain erupted in a hurricane of rage. He squeezed harder at Nova Omnis' neck, taking deep pleasure in hearing its metal and circuitry being crushed.  
  
"I..."  
  
"This is your last, my young Nevermore!!"  
  
"I am..." All of a sudden, Nova Omnis grew white hot, shining like a noon sun. Qain's grasp was forced away and Ark Omnis was thrown against the floor, Qastor still frozen in the air.  
  
Grounded, Qain shielded his eyes as his own panoramic HUD glared an ungodly gleam. Nova Omnis' hue fluctuated into an ominous black, a three- story shadow looming like an airborne Death. Finally, it revealed its true form, its undescribable, majestic, black-white form.  
  
"D... Deus Ex... Machina!?" Something seized control of Qain, forcing him to charge right at the black-white AC. In response, 'Deus Ex Machina' unleashed an overwhelming mechanical roar. Qain found himself being engulfed in a white shockwave. His entire body stiffened as pain raged all over his body, invading his arteries and veins, only to be pumped throughout his entire self by his hysterically beating heart. He didn't scream. he just stared at the machine of unholy destruction as his AC was being incinerated.  
  
_____________________________  
  
Ark Omnis lied smoldering in the distance, on a molten road of steaming liquid metal. It was violently hot, so much that sections of the floor had evaporated into a metallic gas, only to congregate and solidify on anything it clung onto.  
  
Qastor opened his eyes, finding himself laying upon the vastness of the former-hanger. A foul stench was about the air, which subsided quickly. Deus Ex Machina, Nova Omnis, and Xanthippius... All of them were gone. A seemingly dead Silvermoon whispered in the near distance.  
  
Quickly, Qastor rushed over, forcing open the cockpit shutters. He dragged Iris out, letting her lay near the floor, supporting her by her head and shoulder.  
  
"Iris... Iris! Are you okay...?"  
  
"Q... Qastor..."  
  
"You're not hurt, are you!?"  
  
"I..." Iris took her cupped palms from her abdomen. What Qastor saw next was what he feared most would happen. "...I'm sorry..." It was a stab wound.  
  
"...Iris... Don't die on me! You can't... you just... can't..."  
  
"...Qastor... do you... remember our promise...?"  
  
"Yes... of course I do..."  
  
"Please... when this is all over... fulfill... our promise..."  
  
"I will..." Qastor wiped his moist eyes. Iris wanted to smile...  
  
"Don't cry... Everyone dies someday... I guess... my day came..."  
  
"Iris, it doesn't have to be this way! I'll get you outta here, you'll be just fine! I'll quit being a Raven, so we could be together again..." Qastor's words were trembling with doubt. If only Nova Omnis was here... if only...  
  
"It's... not that simple... anymore..."  
  
"I... I know..." Qastor shook his head and bit his lip. Iris reached up her hand to touch his face, weakly wiping away his tears. He held it quickly.  
  
"And... don't forget... who I am..."  
  
"...I won't..."  
  
"Qastor...?"  
  
"Yes...?"  
  
"I... I... lo..."  
  
Realizing that she couldn't speak anymore, Iris gave her last smile... a barely visible, small, dying smile.  
  
Her eyes closed...  
  
"...No... Iris... Iris! Wake up! Iris!" Qastor shook her gently. "Iris, please! Don't leave me!" He noticed her pulse was gone. Her hand fell from his hold. He realized it then...  
  
The high ceiling collapsed, the walls were crumbling.  
  
Without a word, he wept, holding her close... 


	58. Armageddon

Black Feather: Episode LVII  
  
"Armageddon"  
  
???  
  
11:42 p.m., 03/25  
  
  
  
A dead end...  
  
Rose came up to the occluding wall, knocking at the bumpy stone bricks, her silver and red bracelet tinkling.  
  
"It's no use... We should try to find another way." Garnet shook her head.  
  
"But, there is no 'other' way, is there?" Rose replied over her shoulder, still facing the wall. Garnet turned to Malirant, who shrugged doubtfully. She gazed into the darkness behind them, a double path of eerie lamps on the walls giggled away near and far. A mechanical beep droned.  
  
"Uh... Did I do that?" Rose could have sworn she pushed some kind of hidden button, and indeed she did. The 'button' was a loose brick, about have the size of the other ones. It protruded a little, and slid far back into the wall. Malirant and Garnet faced her.  
  
"What did you do?" Garnet was half-amused.  
  
"I don't know! I just..." Rose swayed back as soon as the dead-end wall came alive. The wall slid back, its stone bricks crumbled to the ensuing gap below, revealing a shining metal door. A glowing line divided it, and it split open, unveiling several similar doors that opened in such a way not unlike the first. The three proceeded to an open area, and there, standing in perfectly aligned stalls were...  
  
"Our ACs!" Rose jumped with joy. Limelight projectors from the ground surrounding the ACs illuminated the armor, their heads only visible from the dim eyes. Three stairs from the stall level stretched out, welcoming the pilots.  
  
Rose typed in her codekey, the main HUD coming into view as she strapped the double seat belts on in an X fashion. The HUD finished loading. The FCS window was inactive, while a live, translucent, video portrait of Malirant and Garnet popped up from the lower side screens.  
  
"How are we gonna get outta here?"  
  
"Don't ask me..." Garnet glanced at a pop-up message from Malirant.  
  
Find a way out.  
  
Malirant walked out first, pushing the outlying stalls out of the way. He trudged up to a thin wall, according to his close-range map. He stepped backwards, poking holes into the wall with a continuous barrage from his machine gun. Garnet and Rose watched on, seeing what he was up to. Beams and festoons of dim light and dust shot in from the holes. Once he had perforated the wall to his satisfaction, Malirant charged right through, leaving an outline of his AC in the wall. Rose and Garnet looked at each other, slightly amused. But, what happened next wasn't. The two girls easily passed through the wall, but found Malirant standing frozen not far away.  
  
"Malirant? Hey, we better get moving... no time to enjoy the scenery..." Rose was somewhat sarcastic, but saw why he was standing there. Inconspicuous to an ignorant eye in the darkness ahead was "something." Malirant recognized it immediately, and typed up...  
  
An Omnis  
  
Garnet's eyes widened.  
  
"Lucifer...?" She gazed harder, focusing into the details. All of a sudden, orange lights flashed in stereo from the rotunda ceiling. The three found themselves where they had entered before from the start of the mission. Far off on the opposite side of the dome was the stolid, unyielding door from which the elevator peeked from behind. In the center of the dome was Angelus, his Arkunis Ceipheid, its entire body suspended in the air and constricted by unwieldy chains, originating from the dome wall, wrapping around the Omnis. Malirant calculated that there might have been thirty chains imprisoning Angelus.  
  
A rattle of metal echoed against the walls, intensifying by the second. Garnet found the Omnis AC to be seemingly frozen, an aura of dark and bright green spinning from the outlines of its armor, the restraining chains snapping in half, one-by-one in rapid succession. With a burst of power, Angelus unfettered himself, his lengthy cannon arms stretching outward, his devil and angel wings flexing, its metallic panels clicking and grinding against one another. Arkunis Ceipheid had no legs, but in its place where three thick, leg shaped spikes with no feet, but rather, ending at a sharp point. It faced Malirant, its cannon arm barrels twisting upward, the long metallic sabers from its elbows slid through its forearms and protruded from where the barrels had been. Angelus charged right at Malirant, brandishing the two sabers. Malirant reacted, activating his Logic Drive. The transformation sped by in less than one tenth of a second, and Malirant dodged to the right, the sabers scathing across his towering shield.  
  
Rose was horrified at the sight of the Omnis AC that had almost destroyed her AC back at Apocrypha. She hesitated to battle, while Garnet went into Anima mode, screens and shards of garnet diamond dancing behind her, forming into an eight-pronged star like a jigsaw puzzle.  
  
"What the hell are you doing!? Don't just stand there!!" The eight-point star rotated to the front of Garnet's laser rifle, magnifying her energy shots into larger, denser beams. Angelus slashed wildly at Malirant, who flew back with his shield drawn.  
  
"I... I..." Rose stepped back, her heart pumping fast from recent fear.  
  
"Just fight!! We'll never get out alive if we leave this thing on our tails!!!" Garnet fired an awe-inspiring star beam, directly striking Angelus from the back between the bases of the wings. A shroud of energetic mist and electricity ensued, with Angelus popping abruptly from the center straight toward Garnet. Angelus unleashed a downward swing, striking and sawing through Garnet's left shoulder, plasma vapors shrieking from the sliced conduits and wires. Garnet screamed in unimaginable pain. Rose was still not ready to fight, for in her year's experience of being a Raven, nothing prepared her for this. Malirant lurched in for aid, but stopped. Rose stared in horror as Malirant's AC dropped its weapons and grasped its head in agony. The intercom went off, and Rose heard the terror of Malirant holding his head also, his throat struggling to scream, only allowing a painful, grating hiss to release. Garnet's live video portrait was in static. Everything slowed to a statue's pace...  
  
Excitate vos e somno...  
  
Excitate vos e somno...  
  
Malirant heard the horrifying chant again, only to grasp his head even harder and shake wildly about. He knew it. It was Qain... Trying to take control of his mind... Malirant fought back for the first time, his body being drained of physical vitality.  
  
Excitate vos e somno...  
  
Urite mala mundi...  
  
Malirant stopped, his arms dropped, his head facing down. Rose watched as Malirant's Colossus fell on its back to the ground. Garnet reverted back into her normal AC, her left arm dismembered and her core's left face decimated. It was up to Rose.  
  
"Oh no..." She gasped as Angelus suddenly faced her. She found herself surrounded by swirling Extra-Orbitals. Rose drew back in a flash, avoiding a swipe from Angelus' blade. The Extra-Orbitals flew right up to his face, and all thirty-six of them fired, then withdrawing from the ensuing flames and gas. Roses fired her dual rapid rail guns, the fire of the Extra- Orbitals accompanying her. Angelus, decapitated, slowly made his way towards Rose, his progress not completely impeded by the storm of shots from Sakura. Pieces and shards of his armor tore away from his body in the hundreds, the ancient circuitry straining to achieve his commands. He lifted his two blades up and drove them down, missing Rose by a hair as she pulled away to the left. She quickly turned, aimed at the dual blades, and shattered them with her rail guns. Angelus' cannon arm barrels lowered, now in its original position. Rose gained distance away from him immediately, Malirant somehow on his knees as she passed above him.  
  
Angelus was now in the distant shadows. Rose dodged wildly as an array of energy columns roared straight for her. Some of her Extra-Orbitals were incinerated as she dodged, and the barrel of her right rail gun was completely vaporized. Arkunis Ceipheid's back spikes powered up, sending him thundering towards Rose. She found herself facing Colossus' back as he charged right at Angelus.  
  
"Malirant!! NO!!!" A shockwave roared as the two Omnis collided, Colossus' chest horn stabbing Arkunis Ceipheid's torso. Angelus struggled to point his cannons into Colossus' core, while Malirant fought to keep them away as they fired wildly in the air. Before Rose could do anything, Colossus charged up with immense energy. Suddenly, from its spikes shot white-hot beams. First outward, now diving right into Angelus, his grating scream pale against the screech of the blast.  
  
In a swirl of a hundred suns, Arkunis Ceipheid was grounded. Only its core, wings, and left cannon arm was left. The rest of his limbs were eradicated. Plasmatic fluid and 'Omnis blood' dripped and poured from the wounds.  
  
Malirant was back to his original form, kneeling down near Garnet. Rose noticed that with Garnet's critical status, they won't be able to continue onward out.  
  
Angelus finally began to speak, his voice was human again. "Farewell... Angeline... Nera... My blessed... sisters..."  
  
Quiet...  
  
Tranquil...  
  
Still...  
  
A heavy revving noise emanated from Angelus' core, increasing in loudness by the second. The fluid from its wounds shriveled into the ground, and an earthquake followed.  
  
"M... Malirant! What's happening?" Rose backed away from the white Omnis.  
  
Angelus' Logic Drive Condenser Engine is over-reacting. If we don't escape, we're dead.  
  
Rose searched wildly about, seeking a way out, but to no avail. The previous exit lied in ruins from the battle.  
  
"What about Iris and Qastor!? What'll we d-" Rose stopped at the sight of Angelus moving again. He pointed his cannon at the roof, ribbons and orbs of energy gathering into the barrel. Five blinding shots spat out, boring a wide hole in the ceiling. Crimson skies leered from high above.  
  
"...Go..." Angelus performed his last deed, his cannon pounding lifelessly onto the ground. Malirant activated his Logic Drive again, grabbed a hold of Garnet and bolted out the roof, with Rose not too far behind.  
  
Once outside, they rushed to the transport, which proceeded to escape with haste.  
  
"Where's the other two from before?" The second pilot inquired as the three traipsed into the passenger cabin.  
  
"They're..."  
  
"Dead..." Garnet finished Rose's reply while Malirant pulled an emergency aid kit from below a chair. Rose couldn't object, for it was the apparent truth.  
  
She rushed to the passenger cabin window, pressing her palms against the glass as they sped away from the Lost Field. The firey skies perished.  
  
"Iris... Qastor..."  
  
Angelus lied lifeless in his cockpit. A hallucination fresco of him and his sisters in their childhood years comforted him. He reached up into the vision.  
  
"Valete... liberi... Diebus... fatalibus..." Those were his last words.  
  
Rose broke into tears as the Lost Field erupted into a gargantuan dome of radiation and devouring flames.  
  
Midnight skies awoke with the grieving of a raven.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Excitate vos e somno...: "Wake up from your sleep, my children..."  
  
Urite mala mundi...: "Burn the evil world..."  
  
Valete... liberi... Diebus... fatalibus...: "Goodbye... children... The day... has died..."  
  
From "Liberi Fatali," of Final Fantasy VIII, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. 


	59. Shitsurei Shimasu

Black Feather Final  
  
"Shitsurei Shimasu"  
  
Zion Memorial Sector, Nephilon Hill  
  
4:30 p.m., 03/31  
  
  
  
"...And here, we gather in the memory of a hero and a heroine, two ephemerae bound by a fated destiny, Mr. Qastor and Miss Iris. It is their deeds along with their comrades' that we are allowed to live once again, free from another Great Destruction. May their souls rest in peace... and their memories not forgotten..."  
  
Deliberately, the gravespeaker closed his book and stepped away from the mourning crowds. Among them was Rose, quietly weeping with a tissue to her eyes, with Egret next to her. Garnet, along with her sisters and Diana, formally stood at the side, their faces melancholy. Markham and Scout stood a few feet away from Rose, staring at the memorystone of the young Raven whom had saved their lives. Legionnaire, Royal Mist, BB, and Kyrie were near Iris' grave, the males not giving in to tears, while Kyrie looked away.  
  
An archaic bell serenely sounded, and the grieving crowds departed, exchanging sorrowful goodbyes to each other and farewells to Qastor and Iris.  
  
One man, who stood at the rear of the recent crowd, his right hand in his pocket, slowly walked up to the couple's graves. It was Malirant.  
  
Arriving late since he didn't want to deal with the emotion, his formal suit was shabby, a formal hat on his hair, which was messy as ever, his shirt hung out from his belt, and his tie not properly done. Malirant was never a man of formality, but he always did what he can.  
  
Smooth, orange clouds smeared across the violet skies. Slipping into slumber, the yawning sun descended into the mountains in the west, while the restless moon awoke from the northeast skies. Whistling in the gentle breeze, the grass was pure and evergreen. Trees rustled, grieving over yet another loss among the hundreds. Shades of purple and orange painted the eastern mountain ranges, the spring glaciers icing the tips and apexes. The grass hissed under his feet as Malirant's trembling footsteps approached the twin graves.  
  
He squatted down, removed his hat, and revealed a new, but small bouquet of lavender and daisies in his left hand, settling it between their graves. He stood up, placing his hands in his pockets again, and gazed into their epitaphs.  
  
His eyes found themselves staring into two trees. There sat a young boy and girl. The young girl held up a delicate finger into the air, watching in charming awe as a monarch butterfly rested upon it.  
  
They both dissipated into the air, fleeting into Malirant's memories. His attention turned down to his lower right and noticed a young boy standing next to him.  
  
"Did Mr. Qastor die, sir?" The boy's voice was quiet.  
  
Malirant replied with a slow, unsure nod, his gaze turning to Qastor's grave. The boy, once looking up at the towering Malirant, lowered his head to the graves. Thoughtfully, the boy reached into his pockets and revealed a ring too large for any of his fingers. Noticing a circular engrave in Qastor's memorystone, he inquired.  
  
"May I, sir?" Malirant looked down and saw the boy holding Qastor's ring. He nodded, and the boy walked up, squatted on his knees, and carefully pushed the ring in the engrave. It mounted in perfectly.  
  
The boy rose up, stepping backward past Malirant, and vanished.  
  
Malirant, after standing there in the calm breeze, began to part his late comrades, motioning his mouth to say...  
  
"Farewell." 


End file.
